RWBY: A Demon's Life
by The Burning Ruler
Summary: A young man is invited by Headmaster Ozpin to join Beacon Academy after saving Ruby from being attacked by a Beowolf in the Emerald Forest. After this he tries to keep his dark secret just that, a dark secret, from his friends. But as his past begins to catch up to him will he be able to keep it from his friends, or more importantly, will he want to? Rated M now. (OC X Velvet)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello RWBY fans and new visitors to my page! I just want to say that this is my first fanfic, so if it sucks I'm very sorry. But, if you do enjoy it leave me a review to let me know as well as any ideas you may have for the story. Also, this story may not follow the actual storyline, but I will try to keep it close. I don't own RWBY; all credit goes to RoosterTeeth, etc. Now, without further ado, the first chapter of my first story!**

Chapter 1: A New Life and New Friends

"ARGH!" yelled a boy, after getting clawed into a tree by an Ursa. He wore a black leather jacket with an ice blue t-shirt underneath. He wore long black pants along with black sneakers with ice blue flame designs on them. He had long jet-black hair, with bangs long enough to cover one of his eyes and two wolf ears easy to see on his head. The eye you could see was as red as fire. He had a black aura around him. He had two black long swords, one in each hand, with gold hilts. The boy was around 5 feet 8 inches tall with a fairly muscular build.

The boy stood back up and realized that he couldn't over power the Ursa, so he would have to out speed it. Waiting with his swords in a defensive position, the boy waited for the Ursa to attack him. A few seconds later the Ursa charged at him and the boy quickly moved to the side and swung his sword at the Ursa's neck, attempting to decapitate it. The Ursa however, just managed to get away with a minor cut. But the boy wasn't finished, knowing that he was much faster than the Ursa, he used that to his advantage. Going on the offensive, he charged at the Ursa and slashed at its stomach with both his swords. The Ursa reared back and the boy swung one of his swords upwards, swiftly taking the Ursa's head off. He sheathed his swords behind his back.

"WOAH!" The boy heard a girl's voice say from the bushes behind him.

'What the?' The boy thought turning around.

"That was the most awesome fight I have ever seen in my entire life! Your swords are so cool too!" A girl said after coming out from the bushes. The girl wore a red hood and had silver eyes. After taking the hood off, he saw she had short, dark red hair. She only looked about 15 years old, compared to the boy who was 17.

"Um…Thanks?" The boy said, questioningly. 'She is really hyper.' He thought."

"You're welcome!" The girl said, "My name is Ruby Rose! What's yours?"

"Nice to meet you Ruby. I go by Shade, so you can just call me that, if you want." said Shade.

"Ok, I will, Shade!" said Ruby, enthusiastic about making a new friend. "So you're a Faunus?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Shade, gesturing to his wolf ears.

"Oh, right." said Ruby, realizing her mistake.

"So, do you live around here?" asked Shade.

"Oh yeah! I actually go to school at Beacon Academy. I can bring you there if you want! It's not far!" said Ruby, clearly wanting to show him around.

"Alright sure. I mean if you h…" the boy trailed off and pushed Ruby behind him, just as a Beowolf tore through the forest and clawed a huge gash onto the boys chest causing him to instantly collapse.

"SHADE!" yelled Ruby.

Ruby then took out Crescent Rose and made quick work of the Beowolf, just as Ruby's big sister Yang showed up.

"What happened to him!?" questioned Yang, gesturing to the boy.

"No time! Quick, help me get him back to Beacon! He needs help!" said Ruby, beginning to pick up the boy.

"Ok. You got it." said Yang, picking up the boy, and helping Ruby carry him back to Beacon.

The boy began to wake up, and immediately realized that he had a stabbing pain in his chest. He opened his eyes and realized that he appeared to be in a hospital of some sort.

"Ah, you're awake." A voice said to Shade's right.

Looking to the right, he saw a nurse. "Ugh. Where am I?" The boy asked, unsure.

"You're in the Beacon medical centre." responded the nurse.

Shade immediately recounted the encounter in the Emerald Forest. The fight with the Ursa, the conversation with Ruby, all leading up to the Beowolf attack.

"What about the girl I was with? Ruby Rose, was it?" asked Shade concerned that she was hurt.

"Yes. She's perfectly healthy. Her and her sister Yang carried you back here after you were attacked by a Beowolf in the forest." replied the nurse.

'Thank god. She wasn't hurt.' thought Shade. "How long have I been here?" asked Shade.

"You've been out for around a week." Said the nurse as Shade's eyes widened.

Shade was about to respond when a new voice entered the conversation.

"Ah, excellent. You're awake. Ruby will be thrilled to hear that." Said the new voice as it entered the room.

Shade looked over to see an older man enter the room. He wore small glasses and a dark green jacket over a lighter green undershirt. He held a coffee mug in one hand.

"Hello. Who are you?" asked the boy.

"Oh my apologies. I am headmaster Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon academy." said Ozpin, introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you Ozpin. I go by Shade." said Shade.

Ozpin however, simply waved this off. "No need to introduce yourself. Ruby has already taken the liberty of doing that for you. However, I have a question that I would like to ask you."

"Alright. What might that question be?" asked Shade, curious.

"I would like to know if you would like to enroll here at Beacon academy." asked Ozpin.

"You would just enroll me here without an entrance exam or anything?" asked Shade, confused.

"Of course. When Ruby and Yang brought you here, Ruby spoke very highly of your abilities, and even though she tends to over exaggerate often, I had a feeling she wasn't when it came to you." replied Ozpin.

"Alright. If you're willing to offer, I'm willing to take you up on it." said Shade.

"Very well. Even though we don't have a team for you yet, we would be willing to pair you with team RWBY. Is that acceptable for you?" asked Ozpin, setting a scroll on Shade's bedside table.

"Of course. But may I ask where that is?" asked Shade.

"I can take you there." said a familiar voice as it entered the room.

"Ah hello, miss Rose. I assume you got my message?" said Ozpin, as Ruby entered the room.

"Yes I did." Ruby said to Ozpin before turning to Shade.

"Hello again Ruby." said Shade.

"Hi Shade! Are you ok? I'm so sorry you got hurt. If I hadn't distracted you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm so sorry!" apologised Ruby.

"Ruby, it's fine. I'm ok. See?" said Shade, grabbing the scroll and almost jumping out of the bed.

"Are you sure?" asked Ruby.

"Yes Ruby." said Shade.

"I trust you will accompany Shade back to your room?" asked Ozpin getting a nod from Ruby in return. "Very well. You may be on your way now."

"Thank you sir. For everything." said Shade as he left the room with Ruby at his side.

'That boy has a secret. I wonder what it might be?' thought Ozpin as Shade exited the room.

After being dragged through half the school, Shade found himself at the door of team RWBY.

"I…assume this…is your room" said Shade, panting.

"Yep. Let's go in." said Ruby opening the door.

After opening the door, the first thing Shade took notice of was the bunk beds. One bed was suspended from the ceiling with some rope, while another was supported by a pillar of books.

"Ruby? Before introductions, may I ask how this is safe?" asked Shade.

"Thank you!" said a voice from inside.

Looking in, Shade saw 3 more girls. One had almost shining Blonde hair, lilac eyes, and a brown shirt with black short shorts. The on that spoke had white hair, ice blue eyes, and wore a white dress. The last girl had black hair, amber eyes, and wore a black shirt, black pants and a black bow on her head.

"Shade, meet my team. The one blonde is my sister Yang. She's usually pretty calm, but don't make her angry. The one that spoke is Weiss. She's somewhat cold, but she's pretty nice once you get to know her, and the girl with black hair is Blake. She doesn't talk a whole lot, but she's really nice." introduced Ruby.

"Nice to meet all of you." said Shade before getting almost tackled in a hug from Yang.

"Thank you for saving my sister!" said Yang, still holding him in a bear hug.

"Yang…Can't…Breathe." said Shade, struggling to breathe.

"Oh sorry." said Yang letting go and allowing Shade to breathe again.

"Hello Shade. It's very nice to meet you." said Blake.

"I heard from Ozpin that you will be joining our team." said Weiss.

"Yeah. I hope you're ok with that." said Shade.

"I don't have any objections." said Weiss.

"Me either, but where is he going to sleep?" asked Blake.

"The floor." said Shade.

"We can't make you do that." said Ruby.

"You're not making me. I'm making me. Really, I'm used to it." replied Shade.

"What do you mean you're used to it?" asked Weiss, curiously.

"Alright I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to freak out." Said Shade.

"Alright. I promise I won't freak out." All the girls said.

"Alright. I'm used to it because…b-because of my time with…the *mumbles*." said Shade.

"What did you say?" asked Blake.

"With the White Fang." Said Shade, ready to be hit with a flurry of screams, but only one came

"WHAT!? YOU WERE WITH THE WHITE FANG!" yelled Weiss, angrily.

"You promised you wouldn't freak out!" yelled Shade.

"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY THAT YOU WERE ONCE APART OF THE WHITE FANG! THE SAME ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN ATTACKING MY FAMILY FOR YEARS!" yelled Weiss.

At this point Shade was really starting to lose his temper. 'No. Not here. You can't.' thought Shade trying to keep himself calm.

"Are you ok Shade?" asked Ruby, concerned for her friend's well-being.

"Yeah. I'm fine." said Shade. "Look Weiss, I promise, I haven't been associated with the White Fang ever since they became violent. I was only involved when they were peaceful. I understand that being an ex-member of the White Fang may make it difficult to trust me, but if you give me a chance, I promise I will show you that I'm trustworthy." explained Shade, hoping that she would agree.

Weiss looked like she was thinking about it. "Alright. I'll give you a chance. Don't blow it." Said Weiss after thinking about it for a little while.

"I won't. I promise." said Shade.

Ruby looked like she was about to say something, but was quickly cut off by Shade's stomach growling loudly.

"Hungry there wolfy?" asked Yang.

"I could go for a bite to eat. Is there a cafeteria here?" asked Shade.

"Yeah come on. We can introduce you to some of our friends." said Ruby.

"Sounds good to me." said Shade.

"Then let's go!" yelled Ruby dashing out of the room, followed by Weiss.

Yang was about to walk out when Shade spoke. "By the way Yang, please never call me Wolfy." He said with a smile.

Yang shot a smile back and walked out.

Blake was about to walk out when Shade suddenly spoke up.

"Do they know?" He asked.

"What?" asked Blake.

"Do they know you're a faunus?" asked Shade.

"How did you even?" asked Blake back.

"It's like a sixth sense of mine. So do they?" asked Shade.

"No. Not yet. But I will, eventually." said Blake in response.

"Alright. As long as you will." said Shade.

"Thanks Shade. But we should probably get going. We don't want them to get the wrong idea." said Blake.

"Yeah let's go." said Shade.

The two Faunus walked out of the room and headed to the cafeteria.

'Huh. You know, I think everything is gonna be alright. As long as I can keep my temper under control, they won't find out about…HIM and everyone will be safe.' thought Shade on his way to the cafeteria. 'Alright time to start my new life, with my new friends.'

 **Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Please leave a review, tell me what I did well as well as what I could improve on. Look forward to Chapter 2. I'll try to have it out by next Sunday, provided college work doesn't get in the way.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello once again everyone, Happy Valentine's Day, and welcome to chapter 2 of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh and before I forget, there will be a couple of extra characters appearing in this chapter that normally wouldn't, but there is a reason for it that will appear in a chapter much later than this one, just know that they do have a purpose! They appear pretty late in this chapter too as well so, be warned. Also this chapter turned out to be a little longer than expected, because as I was writing it, I got more ideas that kept popping up in my head that I thought just fit too well to not add in, so that's why. I'm sorry. Anyway I only own my OC, RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum (RIP Monty) and let's get started.**

Chapter 2: The School Bullies

"Hey guys!" said Ruby after seeing team JNPR sitting at their usual table.

"Hey guys! Ruby and Weiss are here!" yelled Jaune sitting with Nora on his right. Ren was sitting next to Nora and Pyrrha was sitting next to Ren, while staring at Jaune.

"Guys! I'm here too…" said Yang, feigning being hurt.

"Sorry Yang didn't see you there." said Jaune, noticing Yang entering the cafeteria.

Just then Blake and Shade entered the cafeteria.

"Oh you're here! Hey Shade! Let us introduce you to our friends! There right over there!" said Ruby pointing to Team JNPR. "First with the blonde hair is Jaune Arc. He is the leader of Team JNPR. To his right we have Nora Valkyrie! She's very hyper and a great fighter even though she is a bit hyper. Next to Nora is Lie Ren, but just call him Ren. He's pretty quiet but he is always calm and composed. Finally, next to Ren we have-"Ruby started until Shade interrupted.

"OH MY GOD! Pyrrha is that you!?" questioned Shade looking at Pyrrha.

"Shade! It is so good to see you again after so long!" said Pyrrha, with a look of absolute shock on her face.

Shade and Pyrrha ran up to each other and embraced each other in a tight hug.

"I see that your hair is just as amazing as before." Said Pyrrha.

"You expected anything else?" asked Shade.

"No I suppose not." Admitted Pyrrha.

"Um…What?" asked team RWBY as well as Jaune, Nora and Ren.

"Oh right. Everyone is probably confused at how we know each other from before now. Well I'm sure that you know how Pyrrha won the Mistral Regional Tournament 4 years in a row, right?" asked Shade. "Well, I was runner-up 4 years in a row. I was good, and came close a couple times, but I could never beat Pyrrha."

"WHAT?!" yelled Weiss. "Why didn't you tell us that you were in the Mistral Regional Tournament, much less that you were runner-up 4 years in a row?!"

"I didn't think it was important. I mean, why would it be?" asked Shade.

"Because then we would know that you are even better than we expected so we could accurately gauge your abilities." said Weiss.

"Alright. Fair point, but now you know. So how have you been all these years Pyrrha?" asked Shade.

"I've been good, but I'm more confused about you. How did my old lover make it here?" asked Pyrrha, making Shade blush and facepalm.

"YOU GYUS ARE EXES TOO?!" yelled Yang, Ruby, and Nora.

"Yes, Pyrrha and I used to date, but we broke up a while ago. Can me and Pyrrha finally catch up now?!" asked Shade, clearly starting to lose his patience.

Pyrrha, already knowing what could happen soon quickly said "Actually, how about we catch up in private?"

"Alright, sure. And Yang, before you even start, no nothing else is going to happen." said Shade, already knowing what Yang was about to say.

"Fine, I won't say anything." Said Yang, upset that Shade predicted what she was about to say.

"Alright. Let's go Shade." Said Pyrrha, leading him out of the cafeteria.

After Pyrrha lead Shade out of the cafeteria, she quickly hugged him.

"Woah, Pyrrha! It's okay! What's up?" asked Shade, taken aback, but still hugging her back.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just happy to see you again." Said Pyrrha.

"I'm happy to see you again too Pyrrha." Said Shade. "But I get the feeling that you have a couple of questions for me. Am I right?" asked Shade.

"Only three. First, why didn't you tell them that if you hadn't been refraining from using your semblance you would've beat me? Back in the tournament?" asked Pyrrha.

"If I had done that, they would start asking me what my semblance was, and you know how much I love surprising people with it, right?" said Shade.

"Point made. Ok, question two. How did you get here? I mean I thought that you were going to keep taking up mercenary work." Said Pyrrha.

"Basically what had happened was I was on an extermination job and just as I had taken out my last Ursa, Ruby came out of a bush and started making conversation with me. After talking for a little while, a Beowolf charged at Ruby, and I pulled her behind me to protect her. I woke up a week later in the infirmary, and after a brief chat with Ozpin, he invited me to join the school, and made me an extra team member of team RWBY." Explained Shade, recounting the recent events.

"Ok. Finally, have you gotten any better at controlling…HIM?" asked Pyrrha, with a grim look on her face.

Shade looked down at that question. "No. If anything it has only gotten worse. MUCH worse. It used to only be sadness that set him off, but now, any negative emotion sets him off, but the worst one is anger. I need you to promise me a couple of things, right here, right now." Said Shade, dead serious.

"Of course. What?" asked Pyrrha.

"I need you to promise me that you won't tell my team. They don't know yet, but I will tell them eventually, just only when I'm ready. Also, I need you to promise me that if you see me start to lose my temper, and he might take control, promise me you will get my team as well as your team away as quickly as you can. I will get control back as soon as I can, but I don't want to hurt anybody that doesn't deserve it." Requested Shade.

"Of course Shade. I most likely would have done that even of you hadn't asked." Said Pyrrha.

"Thank you Pyrrha. You're such a good friend." Said Shade.

"You're welcome Shade." Replied Pyrrha.

"Anyway, we should probably get back to our teams." Said Shade.

"Oh yeah, let's go." Said Pyrrha.

After getting back to the cafeteria and Shade got some food. Ruby realized that she hadn't asked Shade anything about his weapons yet when she saw them on his back.

"SHADE! I've been meaning to ask you! What are the names of your weapons and what do they do?" asked Ruby.

Pulling out both of his longswords, he answered. "The one in my right hand is called 'Demon's Bane' and the one in my left is called 'Gleaming Evil', and apart from killing things, I can convert them each into a machine pistol, as well as form them together into a 12-gauge shotgun that can shoot through titanium." He said showing everybody.

"Wow! They are so cool! Even their names sound awesome! Did you make them both yourself?" asked Ruby.

"Not both, just Demon's Bane." Said Shade, sheathing both swords.

"So where did you get Gleaming Evil?" questioned Weiss.

"It was my dad's. Before he…b-before he was…k-killed." Explained Shade, with a forlorn look on his face and he looked to be close to tears.

"Oh my god…I-I'm so sorry Shade. I-I didn't know." Said Weiss sincerely.

"It's ok. There was no way you could've known. It's not your fault. Besides, I got my revenge many years ago." Said Shade, with everyone knowing what he meant by that.

"Oh my god." Said everyone.

"Ok, I understand why most of you said that, but why you Pyrrha? You already knew about that?" asked Shade, but Pyrrha was looking away.

Shade looked past her to see a tall, muscular boy with orange hair, a shorter boy with a Mohawk, another short boy with dark yellow hair, and a taller boy with dark blue hair picking on a small Faunus girl with bunny ears. They were pulling on them, almost making her cry, and the laughing as she started to whine. Everyone looked over to where Shade and Pyrrha were looking.

"Who are they and why are they doing that?" asked Shade.

"They are Team CRDL, Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark and they do that every time they see her." Explained Blake

"AND EVERYONE JUST LETS IT HAPPEN?! WHY HASN"T ANYONE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?!" yelled Shade getting angry.

"Well, no one really wants to stick their nose into other people's business, but mostly, no one knows what to do. None of us have ever been bullied before." Said Jaune.

"Oh! WE'LL BREAK CARDIN'S LEGS!" exclaimed Nora.

"I'm in, where do I sign up?" asked Shade, dead serious.

"Shade, please don't encourage her." Asked Ren.

"See, I told you there were real." Shade heard one of them say.

"What a freak!" he heard another one say.

After hearing this, something inside of Shade just seemed to snap.

Yang looked like she was about to say something, but she was interrupted with a deep growling noise coming from Shade.

Everyone turned to Shade, and saw him looking at the boys with a look of pure unrivaled rage. When Pyrrha saw this she told everyone on the team to follow her as she left the cafeteria. When team RWBY wouldn't leave, Pyrrha convinced the rest of team JNPR to drag them out, with Jaune pulling Ruby, Pyrrha pulling Weiss, Ren pulling Blake, and Nora pulling Yang.

After this Shade slammed his hands on the table and got up and stomped over to the boys. When he got there, he pushed the muscular boy far away from the Faunus girl.

"How about you pick on someone your own size?!" yelled Shade after pushing Cardin back about 3 feet and getting right in his face.

"How about you get out of my way and mind your own business before I knock you out cold!?" yelled Cardin back. His teammates lined up behind him, while everyone including teams JNPR and RWBY, who were outside the cafeteria and looking in after Pyrrha let them look inside as long as they didn't go inside, turned to look at this scene, as Shade was the first person to stand up to Cardin.

At this point, Shade was getting really angry. He was almost 3 seconds away from ripping this guy's head off, but he knew he couldn't do that.

"Ok, I'm going to give you two options. Either you can leave right now, and I will do the same and we can forget this encounter ever happened, or you can try to get past me back to her, and I can pound your pathetic ass into the ground right here, right now! The choice is yours." said Shade, his voice getting louder as his sentence went on.

"What could a pathetic, useless faunus like you do to me?" laughed Cardin. "It's not like you're any good, you probably didn't even go to combat school, and your parents were probably too pathetic to teach you anything of value." This caused all the mouths of all members of teams JNPR and RWBY to drop, and it seemed to them that Shade was sent into a more feral state. "So let's see how good you really are!" yelled Cardin, throwing a punch at Shade.

After the comment about Shade's parents, Shade was sent into a fit of unrivaled rage. He clasped his hands over his eyes, and started screaming in a voice that sounded almost demonic. He then started laughing, sounding even more demonic, and as he laughed it gave everyone in the room chills, including team CRDL. This caused Cardin to stop mid punch. After he finished laughing, he simply smiled and tore his hands away from his eyes and brushed the hair out of his right eye. When he looked back up at Cardin, Cardin's heart skipped a beat. Shade wore a demented smile on his face, he started to chuckle, but that didn't worry Cardin at all. What worried him, was Shade's eyes. They had changed. Instead of being red, they looked like to empty black pits, as if his pupil had taken up his entire eye. Cardin jumped back and, after getting his bearings back, reared his right hand back to punch Shade again. When he swung forward, Shade caught his arm by the wrist and crushed it in his hand. Shade then grabbed Cardin by his ankles and slammed him onto a table, causing him to go through it. This seemed to calm Shade down enough to regain his senses, though his eyes were still black. He looked back at the rest of team CRDL, who looked utterly petrified.

"I extend the same offer to you." Said Shade, his voice still sounding demonic. "Either you can pick up your sorry excuse of a leader and get out of my sight, or meet the same fate. Once again, the choice is yours." He said crossing his arms.

"Umm, w-we'll take option A, please." Said Russel, who was shaking like a leaf. The rest of team CRDL agreed. After they had picked up Cardin, Shade grabbed Russel by the shoulder.

"Two things, first, smart choice. Second, when your leader wakes up tell him, if I EVER catch him bullying another Faunus, the consequences will be MUCH worse. The same goes for all of you. Do I make myself clear" He asked, gesturing to all of them. They all nodded in understanding. "Good. Now get out of my sight, you make me sick." The bullies were gone in matter of three seconds.

After they had left, Shade reverted back to normal and brushed his hair to cover his right eye again. 'Oh god. Why did he have to take control in front of everyone in the whole damn school?' thought Shade as he shook his head.

He turned around and saw everyone had looked away. He then walked towards the faunus girl that Cardin and his gang were picking on.

"Hey there. Are you OK?" asked Shade, looking at the girl.

"U-um, y-yes, I'm ok." Said the girl, looking very shy and even a little scared of Shade.

"It's Ok, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Shade. What's yours?" asked Shade.

"M-My names Velvet Scarlatina." Replied Velvet, looking less scared but still a little shy.

"That's a very pretty name. Just so you know, I don't think those guys will bother you anymore, but if they do, just let me know and I'll take care of it." Said Shade, flashing her a smile.

"Thank you, Shade." Replied Velvet.

"I guess I should get back to my friends and you probably want to get back to yours, so I guess I'll see you later?" Shade asked.

"Um, well, I actually don't have any friends, so do you mind if I hang out with you and your friends?" asked Velvet, hopefully.

"Of course. We'd love to have you sit with us." Replied Shade, even though he didn't want her to witness what he was about to go through, he just couldn't turn her down.

"Thank you Shade!" yelled Velvet, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Ok, let's go." Said Shade.

As he and Velvet walked back over to his friends, he was silently hoping that all of them had gone temporarily blind and deaf.

"Um, hey guys?" Shade said, unsure if how to start a conversation that didn't involve what had just happened. "Velvet's going to sit with us today, if that's ok?"

All of his friends just nodded looking at each other.

As Shade and Velvet sat down, Shade next to Yang, and Velvet next to Pyrrha, Blake blurted out "Ok no one else is asking so I'm going to. I don't know how to say this so I'll just be blunt about it. What…the…actual…HELL…HAPPENED!?" she yelled.

"I knew this was going to happen, I was just hoping it wouldn't be so soon." Said Shade.

"Stop trying to dodge the question. Just answer it!" yelled Weiss.

"Alright. If you want the whole story I've got to go back quite a while. First let me take you back 10 years, to the day my family died."

 _Flashback time_

" _D-Dad?" said Shade. "W-What H-Happened" cried Shade, barely able to get a sentence out._

" _Shade? Shade, you need to leave, run, and never look back. Keep yourself safe." Said Shade's father, as the life faded from his eyes._

" _Dad? DAD!? DAD NO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! DAD!" yelled Shade but to no avail. His father was gone. Shade's sadness was quickly replaced with anger. "I swear right now. I will track down the monster who did this to you all, and I WILL end his miserable existence." With that vow he looked on his back and saw his sword, Demon's Bane, attached to his back. He then looked to the left of his father's body, and saw his father's sword, Gleaming Evil, as well as it's sheathe. He picked both up and attached the sheathe to his back. He looked over to the right of his father's body, to see his mother and sister, both murdered. Sheathing the sword, he left the house behind._

 _3 Years Later_

' _How long have I been running now? It has been at least 3 Years. I still haven't found the one who killed my family, but I'm not going to give up until he lies dead at my feet.' Thought Shade._

 _Shade got up from his sitting position, checked the swords on his back and started walking. Before long he found what looked like a ruined temple. Deciding to check it out, he walked into it. After entering it, a chill went down his spine._

 _After walking in the temple for about 30 minutes he saw a man sitting alone in a room. He instantly recognized the man as the one who had killed his father._

" _YOU! YOU MONSTER!" yelled Shade as he charged the man unsheathing both his swords. The man turned, recognized the boy and took out his sword. Shade swung both swords at the man. Due to Shade's weaker figure, the man easily blocked his attack and slashed at Shade's chest. After 2 hours the fight seemed as if it was starting to come to an end, as Shade could barely stand._

 _As the man who killed his father swung his sword down to end Shade's life as well, Shade seemed to be locked in time._

" _What happened? Where am I?" asked Shade, unsure._

" _ **YOU ARE IN MY DOMAIN"**_ _Shade heard a demonic voice say._

" _And you are?" asked Shade._

" _ **MY NAME IS NOT IMPORTANT. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, AND I CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE THAT. NOW KEEP IN MIND, YOU CAN REFUSE, BUT IF YOU DO, THE VERY SAME MAN WHO KILLED YOUR FATHER WILL KILL YOU AS WELL. SO, DO YOU WANT MY HELP?"**_ _Said the voice._

 _Shade took no time to think about his answer the only thing on his mind was revenge. "Yes. I do."_

" _ **VERY WELL."**_ _Said the voice. Shade then heard an almost deafening roar._

 _When the roar stopped, he found himself back in the chamber, only, the man had been disarmed and his sword was laying on the ground far away from him._

 _Shade wasted no time. He ran straight for the man and sunk his dad's sword into the man's heart. He then leaned down ad said right into the man's ear. "That was for my family, you sick son of a bitch." The man then fell to the ground, dead._

 _Flashback ended_

"And that's the story. That voice that gave me the power to avenge my family, also left a small part of himself behind. Now, whenever I feel any of those emotions that I felt the night my family was taken from me, he takes control of my body. Whether I want him to or not." Said Shade, ending his story.

The whole table just sat there trying to absorb all of this information. They looked as if their whole world had been turned upside down.

Ruby was the first to speak up. "Ok." Was all she said.

"What? Did you just say ok?" asked Shade, astonished.

"Yep. I did. Now I know that it wasn't you that did that. It was this alter ego of yours." Said Ruby.

All the others at the table subsequently agreed with Ruby.

Shade was left speechless. He almost started to tear up out of joy but settled for just standing up, walking to Ruby, and wrapping her in a tight hug. Everyone one else quickly joined in the massive group hug.

After remaining like that for a few seconds, they all released from the hug. "Thank you all. You guys are the best friends I could ever ask for." Said Shade, happily.

After remaining in the cafeteria talking for another couple hours. Shade heard an all too familiar voice behind him, and recognized it as an old friend of his from Mistral.

"I should've known it was you after I saw those bullies carrying their leader to the infirmary." Said the voice.

"No way…NO…WAY!" yelled Shade, turning around.

As he turned around the first thing he noticed was a boy with hair the same color as Jaune's, and even close to the same style. The next thing he saw was the boy's tail, which looked like that of a monkey. The shirt he wore was open down the middle.

"Sun. Is that really you?" asked Shade.

"Good to see you still remember me." Said Sun.

"Of course I do. How could I forget about you? You are pretty memorable." Said Shade.

"I guess that's true. I mean, it must be impossible to forget me?" asked Sun, not expecting an answer, and sure enough, none came.

"Um Shade?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah Ruby?" asked Shade back.

"Who's he?" Asked Ruby, pointing to Sun.

"Oh very sorry. This is quite possibly one of my oldest friends. I met him day I arrived in Mistral. His name is Sun and as I'm sure you can tell, he's a monkey Faunus." Explained Shade, introducing his old friend.

"Nice to meet all of you." Said Sun.

All the others introduced themselves, but Shade noticed a couple of things. After Pyrrha introduced herself, she looked directly at Jaune. In fact, she had done that a lot lately. Also, When Ruby Introduced herself she seemed to be stuttering more than usual, and even now she seems to be avoiding looking at him.

'Hmm…I wonder.' Thought Shade.

"Hey Pyrrha? Can I talk to you alone for a second?" asked Shade.

"Um…sure? Why not?" replied Pyrrha.

After the two of them left the cafeteria, Shade just came right out and said it.

"You like Jaune don't you?" asked Shade.

"WH-How did you know that?" asked Pyrrha, dumbfounded.

"You've been staring at him almost the whole time I've seen you. I'm shocked he hasn't noticed yet. He must be really dense." Said Shade.

"Ok. You caught me. I do. I like Jaune." Said Pyrrha.

"Thought so. Alright that's all I wanted to ask." Said Shade.

After Shade and Pyrrha had finished their little talk Shade re-entered the cafeteria and asked to talk to Ruby in private for a minute. When Ruby walked out of the cafeteria, Shade asked her a similar question to what he had asked Pyrrha.

"Do you like Sun?" asked Shade.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? Nooooooooo, of course not." Said Ruby, doing a horrible job of hiding it.

Shade just decided to play along. "Oh. That's a bummer, cause when I saw Sun talking to you, I got the feeling that he may like you." Said Shade, and it was true, it was very subtle, because Sun was good at hiding it, but he couldn't fool Shade. It really seemed that he liked Ruby.

"WHAT!? REALLY!? YOU THINK SO!?" asked Ruby excitedly.

Shade just kept her thinking that he believed her when she said she hadn't liked Sun. "Yeah. He's gonna be so sad when he finds out that you don't like him. But, I do have to tell him. He'll be so heartbroken."

"Shade wait! You win, OK! I do like him!" said Ruby.

"I know. But don't worry. I won't tell him. I'll let you tell him." Said Shade.

"Thank you Shade." Replied Ruby, gratefully.

Ruby and Shade then returned to their table in the cafeteria, and saw one extra person.

"Hey Shade! About time you got back! Meet my friend, Mercury!" said Sun.

Shade looked over and saw an average height boy with silver hair dressed in almost all black and what a girl might call a handsome face.

"Hey there. I'm Mercury. Nice to meet you Shade. These guys have told me a lot about you. Sounds like you've had a rough life." Said Mercury, sympathetically.

"You could say that. It's nice to meet you too Mercury." Replied Shade, shaking Mercury's hand.

The group of 12 friends talked until sunset, when they decided they should head back to their dorms and get some shut-eye, seeing as they had class tomorrow.

When team RWBY got back to the dorm, Shade saw an extra bed. It was put in the corner, very close to Weiss' bed. There was a note on it. All the girls took notice of this. Shade walked over to the note and read it aloud.

"Dear Shade,

It was only after thinking for a little while that I realized that you wouldn't have a bed to sleep in while you stayed here. Therefore I added a bed in to team RWBY's dorm room. This was the only place big enough to fit a bed. I hope the location doesn't cause any problems.

Sincerely, Ozpin"

"Alright, looks like I don't need to take the floor anymore." Said Shade.

Then, the RBY of team RWBY hopped up onto their beds and quickly fell asleep.

Shade the got into his bed, took off his shirt, slid under the covers and was about to go to sleep when Weiss called his name.

"Yes Weiss?" asked Shade.

"Are you ok with this placement of your bed?" asked Weiss.

"Of course. Why?" asked Shade.

"Well, the way the beds are placed, we're practically…sleeping together." Said Weiss, a blush very clear on her face.

"Yeah, but we aren't." said Shade.

"Yeah but-"Weiss didn't finish her sentence in time. Shade had already fallen asleep.

Weiss then just sighed in annoyance, changed into her sleep wear, climbed into her bed and fell asleep, able to feel Shade's warm breath on the back of her neck as he snored lightly.

"Oh, god. This is going to be a long semester isn't it?" Was the last thing Weiss thought before going to sleep.

 **Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Remember to leave a review of what I did well, if anything, as well as what I could improve on, because let's face it, I'm clearly not a professional as well as any questions you may have regarding the story. Any help you are willing to offer is much appreciated and I hope I will see you in the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I will try to update this every Sunday as long as I can sneak in sometime between college work to write.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone. This is The Burning Ruler, here with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I can't believe that I have gotten over 200 views on this story this quickly, so sincerely, thank you very much! I know that this chapter is coming out really early, but I wrote it yesterday morning and I couldn't wait any longer to put it up. Just so you know, I wrote this at 1 AM, so if the writing seems a little lazy, sloppy, or tired at parts, that is probably why. Either that or I just suck at writing. Ayways I just had a dream and woke up at 1 and decided that I could use a part of the dream in my story so I decided to start this now before I forgot it and once I started writing this I got into the groove and couldn't stop until I finished the chapter. (Also, if anyone out there reading this is any good at art, I'm sure you've noticed that I don't have a cover image for this story yet, and even though I've been looking for one, I can't find one that's good enough. So, if you think you could make one for this story, please do, and send me a PM with the picture/link to the picture if it was made on deviant art etc. as weel as your name so I can credit you, and I might use it.) But, that's enough rambling from me, let's get into the chapter.**

Chapter 3: The First Classes

Shade woke up earlier than any of the other members of team RWBY, so he decided that he would hop in the shower first, so that he didn't have to wait for the others to finish. He grabbed the uniform that, based off the note Ozpin left for him, he was supposed to wear around school.

After getting into the bathroom, setting his clothes on the sink and getting in the shower, he began lightly singing a song that he sung every morning.

In the other room, Weiss slowly began to wake up. As she was about to head into the bathroom to shower, she heard light singing. Deciding to take a quick peek into the bathroom to see who was singing, she saw Shade in the shower singing a rock song; light enough so that he wouldn't wake anyone up, but loud enough that Weiss could hear him clearly. **(AN-If you don't know the song Monster by Skillet. I would highly recommend it, as long as you like rock and roll. This will also be the song that Shade is singing, and I don't know about you, but it bothers me when I don't know a song and I see the lyrics in front of me, but don't know the rhythm so if that bothers you, I would recommend starting the song now. If not, I still recommend starting it now because it's a great song)**

 **Shade used to sing this with the lyrics here, but I removed the to be safe from copyright. Sorry.**

As Shade finished the song, He turned off the shower and almost caught Weiss watching him, but she ducked out of sight and backed into the room before he saw her.

As Shade walked out of the shower a dried himself off, he walked over to his clothes and began to put them on. After pulling on his pants, he realized that he forgot the shirt in the room. 'Alright it should be where all the other clothes were.' He thought to himself.

As Shade walked out of the bathroom, he saw that Weiss was awake and sitting on her bed, presumably waiting for him to get out of the shower.

"Hey Weiss. I'm done in the shower if you want it next." Said Shade as he grabbed his shirt.

Before he was able to pull it on fully Weiss saw his chest. From what she saw, it was fairly muscular, but covered in scars, burn marks, and other injuries, she knew she had to ask him about them, but decided that now was a bad time.

"Oh yeah. Thanks Shade." Sais Weiss as she grabbed her uniform and brought it into the bathroom as she started to shower.

"She looked nice. Wait...What am I saying? I don't…like her do I? No. Of course not, I'm just tired." Concluded Shade.

After he finished talking, he pulled out his scroll and some headphones, and started listening to music.

During this time all the other girls woke up and looked at him. He seemed so at peace while listening to his music.

After Weiss exited the bathroom Yang went in, followed by Blake, then finally Ruby. During all this, Shade just remained silent listening to his music with his eyes closed.

"Is he asleep again?" asked Yang.

"Looks like it, but how could he sleep with music playing?" asked Weiss.

"He must just be calm." Stated Blake, as Ruby exited the bathroom.

"What are you guys doing?" Ruby asked, as all the other girls were crowded around Shade. Ruby soon went to join them.

The four girls were talking when out of nowhere Shade chimed up.

"You girls enjoying the view?" asked Shade, opening the eye you could see.

"AHHH!" all the girls screamed and jumped back at this, scared out of their minds.

At this point, Shade started bursting out laughing. "You should've seen your faces! That was priceless!" yelled Shade, falling on the floor laughing.

After Shade had gotten over his laughing fit, he stood up. "So what class do we have first?" he asked.

"Let's see, first we have Grimm studies with Professor Port. Then we have history with Doctor Oobleck, and finally, combat class with Professor Goodwitch." Replied Ruby.

"So we should probably get going, seeing as class starts in 10 minutes, and seeing as I have no idea where I'm going, lead the way." Said Shade, opening the door and holding it for the rest of the team.

"Yeah, let's go." Said Yang, walking out, followed by Blake, Ruby and lastly, Weiss. Shade then left and caught up with the rest of the team, as he had to follow them to find the classroom.

Once they arrived in the classroom. They sat down and got ready for class. Once class started, Professor Port started telling a story about his childhood. Once he finished, he asked for a volunteer from the class to come up and fight a Grimm.

Shade's hand immediately shot up, and he was called to the front of the class. After changing into his combat gear and getting his swords, he took them both out. Professor Port raised his Battle Axe, and cut the lock on a cage releasing a Boarbatusk into the room. Shade immediately knew that it had no armor on its belly. When the Grimm charged at him, he blocked its attack with one sword, which got caught between its tusks. He lifted his sword into the air, lifting the Grimm with it. After throwing the Grimm off his sword, it landed on his back. Shade immediately jumped into the air, flipped twice and drove his swords into the Grimm's stomach, killing it instantly.

"Well done! Very well done!" exclaimed Port after Shade sheathed his swords.

"It was really no problem at all. I've killed many Boarbatusks before this one." Explained Shade, just as class ended.

Shade and the rest of team RWBY all headed to history together, where nothing important happened, other than Oobleck nearly knocking a student off his chair as he ran past him. Then they headed to combat class.

"Good morning class. There may be times where you will find yourselves against multiple enemies without any back up. Today, you will be put into matches against multiple opponents. First up we have Yang Xiao Long vs Team JNPR. Yang and Team JNPR both took places. Team JNPR was told they had to give it their all, and Yang was told she had to either defeat Team JNPR or last 5 Mins without her aura slipping into the red. The match started and Team JNPR attacked. Four and a half minutes in, it looked like Yang might outlast them, until Nora landed a good hit on her, and sent her aura into the red.

"Very well done, all of you. You may take your seats." Said Goodwitch. "Next up we have Shade vs Team CRDL."

Shade immediately got a smile on his face. 'This will be fun.' He thought getting onto the stage.

Cardin had gotten out of the infirmary early due to his aura. He and his team were somewhat happy when they learned that they all had a chance at Shade. They quickly got up on the stage and drew their weapons. The match then started. Shade eliminated Russel, Dove and Sky within the first 3 mins. However, Cardin landed a good hit on him almost sending his aura into the red, while his was still in the green.

"You can't beat me. If you get close, I'll just hit you back. You should just give up." Said Cardin. However, Shade simply laughed.

"How are you gonna hit me, if you can't see me?" He asked before exploding into black smoke.

"What just happened?" asked Yang.

"If I had to take a guess, Shade just used his semblance." Replied Pyrrha, smiling.

Once the smoke cleared, Shade was nowhere to be seen.

"He must be invisible!" Said Cardin swinging his mace at where Shade just was, only to hit air. "What? Where is he?" asked Cardin, getting frustrated.

However behind him Shade seemed to rise out of the ground. He charged at Cardin and hit him on the side and exploded back into black smoke.

"How did he get back there?" asked Cardin charging to where Shade just was, only to hit air again.

Shade once again rose out of the ground behind Cardin, charged at him and hit Cardin into the air, jumping into the air and hitting Cardin back down, sending him like a meteor back into the ground, also sending his aura into the red.

"And the winner is Shade! Well done young man! Keep up the good work." Said Goodwitch as Shade walked off the stage and sat back down with his team.

"How did you do that?" asked Ruby, still confused at how he did that.

"I'll tell you in the cafeteria after class. Can you wait until then?" asked Shade.

"I guess I can." Said Ruby, upset that she had to wait.

Three matches later, class ended and everyone went to the cafeteria.

"So Shade, how did you do that?" asked Yang, looking at him. Everyone looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"That was my semblance. Shade's Deception." Explained Shade.

"It's named after you?" asked Weiss.

"Actually no, it isn't." said Shade, confusing everyone.

"But, your name is Shade. How is it not named after you?" asked Nora, confused.

"Yeah! If your name is Shade, and your semblance is called Shade's Deception, then it is named after you isn't it?" asked Ren.

"Yes, it would be. But who said my name was Shade, because I didn't." said Shade.

"Wait a second…" said Ruby, recounting her first encounter with Shade.

 _Flashback_

" _Nice to meet you Ruby. I go by Shade, so you can just call me that, if you want." said Shade._

 _End flashback_

"You never said your name was Shade. You said you WENT by Shade. None of us know your name." said Ruby, realizing she didn't know his name.

"Bingo. And before you ask, I'm not going to tell you my name. At least, not yet." Said Shade, looking at Ruby.

Yang was about to argue, when she looked past Pyrrha, to see Cardin bullying Velvet again, but with no backup this time.

"Ugh, this again. I'll be right back." Said Shade, standing up and walking over to Cardin.

"Did you not learn your goddamn lesson last time?" asked Shade, as he reached Cardin.

Cardin was about to tell him off, but the he remembered what happened to him the last time he tried that.

"Um. Never mind, I'm sorry Velvet. I'll just be going now." Said Cardin as he walked away.

Shade simply laughed, then turned to Velvet. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. He didn't do too much before you showed up." Said Velvet.

"Good." Said Shade. As Shade was leaving, Velvet quickly called out his name.

"Yes Velvet?" asked Shade turning back around.

"Um, do you mind if I sit with you again?" asked Velvet, hopefully.

"You know you don't have to ask if you want to. You can just come over and sit down if you want." Responded Shade.

"Oh, Ok. Thanks Shade!" said Velvet.

At this point, Shade and Velvet walked over and sit down across from each other.

"You know I just realized something. I only have one change of clothes. Does anyone know where I can get more?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. We haven't taken you into town yet. Ah, no matter. We can take you in now. That is, if you want to come." Said Weiss.

"Alright. Yeah sure. Let's go. You wanna come too guys?" asked Shade

Team J(N)PR and Velvet quickly agreed.

"Actually, I think I'll hang back here and read. But have fun guys." Said Blake.

"I'm gonna hang back too. Try to get some training in. After seeing how good Shade is, I need to get to work if I want to beat him ever." Said Nora.

"You'll have to train a lot. But I'll be looking forward to the time I get to fight you." Said Shade.

"Oh ok guys. Then let's go!" exclaimed Ruby.

Everyone then left the cafeteria and headed towards the airships. After a quick flight, they landed in town.

"Ok. So where is the nearest men's clothing store?" asked Shade.

"We can take you there." Said Jaune and Ren.

"Alright works for me. Lead the way. We'll meet up with you later." Said Shade.

"Alright, we'll just be up at the café down the street." Said Yang.

As Shade, Jaune and Ren headed off to the clothing store, the girls all headed off to the café. They got a table big enough for all of them to sit at.

"Who's getting what?" asked Pyrrha, offering to go and get everyone something.

After finding out what everyone wanted, she realized that she couldn't carry everything.

"Hey Weiss? Can you come with me so I don't have to make two trips to get everything?" asked Pyrrha.

"Oh sure. I actually have something I want to ask you about." Replied Weiss.

Pyrrha and Weiss got in the line and waited for their turn to order.

"So what did you want to ask me about Weiss?" asked Pyrrha.

"Ok. I need you to promise me that you won't say anything to anybody about this ok?" asked Weiss.

"Wow that serious huh? Ok, I promise. What's up?" asked Pyrrha.

"Alright. I don't really know how to say this but, I think I'm developing a crush on Shade, but I'm not sure and I need some help to figure out these feelings." Said Weiss, sending Pyrrha into a state of shock.

"Um. Ok, wasn't expecting that, but I think I can help you figure out if you actually have a crush on him. I just need to ask you a few questions ok?" asked Pyrrha.

"Ok. Ask away." Replied Weiss.

"First, what do you feel when you see him?" asked Pyrrha.

Weiss started to think. After a few minutes, she responded with "Whenever I see him, I get butterflies in my stomach. I start to feel nervous and I am worried that he'll notice that I'm visibly nervous."

"Alright then. Next question. Do you enjoy his company? Do you enjoy when he's around, or do you not like it when he isn't?" asked Pyrrha.

"Kind of. I do enjoy it when he's around, but it's not like I don't like it when he isn't. If given the choice, I would prefer to have him around." replied Weiss.

"Alright. Last question. How many negative things can you list about him?" asked Pyrrha.

Weiss thought for a while, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of any legitimate negatives about Shade. "I can't think of any. Even though he's a faunus, for some reason I try to think about that in a negative way, but I can't." said Weiss.

"Wow. If I had to take a guess off what I've heard, you don't have a crush on him." Said Pyrrha.

"I don't? Then what do I feel for him?" asked Weiss, confused.

"To me, it sounds like you're in love with him. Pretty badly too it seems." Stated Pyrrha.

"I…I'm…in l-love with Shade?" asked Weiss, confused.

"Based on what you told me, yeah, that's what it seems like." Said Pyrrha.

"Oh god. I am. I'm in love with him. But, is he in love with me?" asked Weiss, not expecting Pyrrha to say anything.

"I'm not sure, but I'm a good friend of his. I could try to find out if you want me to. I'm planning on asking him if he likes anyone when he shows up anyways." Said Pyrrha.

"Really?! Please do. Thank you Pyrrha!" said Weiss, throwing her arms around Pyrrha.

"Whoa Weiss! Save some for Shade!" teased Pyrrha.

(With the others, just after Pyrrha and Weiss left.)

"So what's up Velvet?" asked Ruby, noticing she seemed to be staring off into space.

"What? Oh nothing really." Said Velvet unconvincingly.

"You aren't fooling anyone Velvet. What were you thinking about?" asked Yang.

Velvet started trying to think of an excuse, but she took too long.

Suddenly Yang realized it. " She's thinking about a boy!" said Yang. " So who is it?"

"Um…it's…i-it's…" Velvet wasn't able to get a sentence out.

"So who is it? Is it Jaune?" asked Yang.

"No, it's not Jaune." Replied Velvet.

"Ok, so is it Ren?" asked Yang.

"No. Not him either." Replied Velvet.

"Ok. What about Mercury?" asked Yang.

"Still no." said Velvet.

"Ok, how about Sun?" asked Yang.

Velvet was about to say no, but realized that if she did, Yang would find out. "Ok you got me. It's Sun. I like Sun."

Velvet looked over to Ruby, who was visibly shaken and seemed close to tears.

"Ruby you ok?" asked Velvet, noticing the girl's reaction.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Are you sure you like Sun?" asked Ruby, hoping for her to say no.

"Definitely. It's him. I'm sure of it." Said Velvet.

After that Yang started doubting that. She seemed to be defending it too much. Almost as if Sun was a decoy. She had an idea to uncover the truth.

"Well I really hate to say this, really I do, but you see Sun, um. Oh this is tough. You see, he's already kind of dating me. I'm sorry Velvet, I didn't know you liked him like that." Said Yang, waiting for Velvet's reaction.

"Oh ok. I guess there's nothing that can be done about that then. Well treat him good then Yang." Said Velvet, thinking that she had gotten away with her lie.

"Ok. So you don't like Sun." said Yang.

"What do you mean? Yes I do." Said Velvet, wondering where she could've gone wrong.

"If you did like him, so much so that you were thinking about him without even seeing him today, then you wouldn't have given up on him that easily without any proof. Sun and I aren't dating by the way. So no, you don't like Sun." said Yang, happy that her plan worked.

Meanwhile, Ruby just looked relieved that Velvet didn't like him and that Sun was still available. "But wait. If Velvet doesn't like Jaune, Ren, Mercury or Sun…" began Ruby.

"…Then she must like…" continued Yang.

Ruby and Yang looked at each other as they both reached the same conclusion.

"…SHADE! She likes Shade!" Ruby and Yang said simultaneously.

"Shhhhhhh! Please keep it down! Ok you got me. I like Shade." Whispered Velvet. "But you can't tell anyone ok? Not even Weiss, Pyrrha, Blake or Nora."

"OK, we'll keep quiet." Ruby and Yang agreed.

"Thank you so much. I'll tell him soon. I'm just waiting for the right moment." Said Velvet.

"Hey guys!" called Pyrrha as she returned with Weiss and 8 drinks.

"Um there's only 5 of us here Pyrrha, why did you get 8 drinks?" asked Yang, taking her drink and handing Ruby and Velvet theirs.

"There are only 5 of us here now but Shade, Jaune and Ren will be getting here soon, and I know what Jaune and Ren like, and unless Shade has changed over the years, I know he'll want a Caramel Macchiato." Responded Pyrrha, as she set down all the drinks.

"You guess correctly old friend." A voice said behind Pyrrha.

Pyrrha quickly turned around, to see Shade behind her.

Shade quickly grabbed the Caramel Macchiato, and took a sip.

"How did you do that?!" asked Weiss.

"Trade secret there Weiss." Replied Shade, flashing her a quick smile.

Just then, Jaune and Ren walked through the door, each of them carrying a bag of clothes and breathing heavy.

"Did you make them carry your clothes?" Pyrrha asked, until she saw the bag in Shade's hands.

"No, they both decided to get some clothes too. Another thing, unless you like shopping, never go with Ren. It's almost as bad as shopping with an indecisive person with ADD." Warned Shade.

"Hey…I'm not that bad am I?" asked Ren.

Jaune just looked at him sympathetically.

The boys sat down and the group talked about nothing important until Pyrrha asked Shade something.

"So Shade just out of curiosity, do you happen to have a crush on anyone?" asked Pyrrha.

Everyone looked to Shade as he thought about it for a second. He saw this as an opportunity to pull a prank on them. 'This is gonna be hilarious' he thought.

"Well, kind of yeah." Responded Shade, pretending that he was nervous.

"OK, is she sitting at this table?" asked Yang, making Pyrrha's job easier.

"Um, well no she's not here exactly. But _he_ is…" said Shade, looking down and thinking 'Are they buying it?'

 **(AN-Just thought I should interject here. I just want to say that I am a full supporter of LGBT rights, and I am doing this just for giggles. I don't want to make anyone think I have a problem with that when I don't . Ok that's the end of my Author's Note. Now back to the story.)**

At that exact moment, everyone at the table instantly stopped whatever they were doing, and just stared at someone. Either Shade, or in Ren and Jaune's case, each other.

'There buying it aren't they?' thought Shade.

"You…I mean…you're…I mean…what?" asked Pyrrha, unsure how to respond to what she had just heard, and she was the only one who could say anything. Everyone else just sat there with their mouths wide open, just staring at someone.

Suddenly, Shade began to smile, the smile soon became a chuckle, which soon became full-blown laughter.

"Can I ask what exactly is so funny?!" asked Weiss.

Shade was having trouble breathing from how hard he was laughing. Once he finally regained some sense of control over his lungs, He stuttered out "Oh…my…god. That…was…too…damn…funny!" He quickly erupted in a bout of laughter again.

"Wait a minute, was that a joke?!" asked Weiss.

Shade couldn't even speak. All he could manage was a weak nod before laughing again.

After that Ren and Jaune quickly breathed a sigh of relief before laughing as well. Yang, Ruby, and Pyrrha began laughing soon after that. But Weiss and Velvet didn't seem to think it was so funny, only letting out a small giggle.

Once all the laughing had ended. Shade gave an honest answer to Pyrrha's question. "Ok. Sorry to say that but the opportunity to do that so rarely presents itself so I had to take it. But as an honest answer, not really. I guess I could develop feelings for someone, but as of right now, I don't have any."

"Oh ok then." Replied Pyrrha.

The group then started to talk again until a man none of them, other than Shade, recognized.

"If it ain't old Shade!" Said the man. "How is my favourite mercenary doing?"

"Oh, hey Matt. I'm doing pretty good." Replied Shade.

"Anyways, the Ursa have stopped coming around my business, I assume this was your doing?" asked Matt.

"Yeah it was me. I know I haven't come for my pay yet but I've been caught up in some other stuff lately, but I'll come by later ok?" asked Shade.

"No need, I have your pay with me right now." Said Matt, pulling out 500 lien and giving it to Shade.

"Pleasure doing business with you once again. Got anything else for me right now or no?" asked Shade.

"Ready for the next job already I see, other than a few assassination missions, which I know you won't do, nothing new yet. But I'll let you know when there is something." Said Matt.

"Alright. So I'll see you later then?" asked Shade.

"For sure." Said Matt, bumping fists with Shade and leaving the café.

After Shade put the money in his wallet, he looked to his friends, who were more confused more than ever.

"Guessing you probably want to know what that was about, huh?" asked Shade.

"A little explanation would help." Said Velvet.

"Well before coming to Beacon, I was a mercenary, working under the alias of 'The Wandering Demon' and when Ruby found me in the Emerald Forest, I was on an extermination job for that guy. There were some Ursa attacking his shop, and he asked me to take care of them, and offered me 500 lien for the job." Explained Shade.

"OK. That clears it up a bit." Said Velvet.

"Yeah but what did he mean when he said you wouldn't do any assassination jobs? I mean, when we first met you were a mercenary but you had no problem with them then, what changed?" asked Pyrrha.

Shade took a quick glance at Weiss. "I'd rather not discuss that right now." Said Shade.

'Why did he look at me then? I'll have to ask him about that later.' Thought Weiss.

The group of 8 started talking about classes until they all finished their drinks, at which point they left. They all left the café and started to walk towards where the airships were so they could go back to Beacon.

A few minutes after they left the café, Shade and Weiss both said "Crap!"

"What's up?" asked Jaune.

"I forgot my bag of clothes at the café." Said Shade.

"Yeah, and I forgot my purse." Said Weiss.

"Ok, well, go get your stuff then." Said Pyrrha.

"Ok, we'll be back soon. Wait for us here." Said Shade, grabbing Weiss' arm and taking off at full speed towards the café.

Once Shade and Weiss made it to the café, they went inside and got their things.

"Ok, let's go Weiss." Said Shade, about to leave.

"Wait Shade!" said Weiss, getting his attention.

"Yeah Weiss?" asked Shade, turning to face her.

"I wanted to ask you why you looked at me before you answered why you wouldn't take up any assassination contracts." Answered Weiss.

"It's a bit of a long story, but I'll tell you when we get back to Beacon. Meet me in the training room ok?" asked Shade.

"Ok, see you then." Said Weiss.

The two of them walked back to the group and then back to the airships. When they got back to Beacon, Shade said he was going to head to the training rooms and Weiss said she was planning on heading there as well, so they decided to go together.

When they got to the training rooms they sat in the stands, and Shade started to talk.

"So, you want to know why I won't take up assassination contracts?" asked Shade.

"Well, mostly why you looked at me before you said that, but yeah, pretty much." Replied Weiss.

"Ok, this goes back to when I was in the White Fang." Began Shade

 _Flashback again_

" _Hey Shade, come here!" a man called out to Shade._

" _Yeah I'm here, what do you want?" asked Shade._

" _We got a job for you. This will be a great boost to our cause, if you can handle it." The man said handing Shade an assassination contract._

 _Shade quickly looked over the contract, nodded and said, "Got it. I'll be back in the morning."_

" _I'll see you then." Said the man._

 _After the sun sunk below the horizon, Shade snuck into the house of the one he was hired to kill. He crept silently through the hall towards the room of the target. He silently opened and closed the door to see his target sound asleep._

 _Flash back end_

"The target was right in front of me. I took out one of my swords, and was prepared to kill the target. However, just before I lowered my blade, I began to hesitate. I knew that what I was about to do was wrong, and I truly began to think about what was happening. I was being used by the White Fang to do their dirty work. I'm the only one who ever does assassinations. However, I did know that if I pulled off this job, we Faunus would be treated as equals, but I also realized it wouldn't be out of respect. It would be out of fear. As I looked over at my target, I couldn't help but notice something. The target was fast asleep, completely unknowing of the danger she was in. I was about to kill her, but couldn't do it, she seemed too innocent to kill. I left the target alone, and went back to the White Fang base. I made up a story that the cops spotted me, but they didn't believe me, because they knew that wouldn't stop me. They knew that I had given up on the mission. In the White Fang, this is highly disgraceful. If you fail a mission, nothing bad happens, but if you give up on a mission and have the nerve to come back, you are to be punished. So I was. Severely. It was only after 4 hours of constant torture they let me off the stake. After that, I was almost broken. I quickly packed up my belongings after patching myself up, and left as fast as I could. I left a suicide note talking about how I couldn't live with the disgrace I paced upon myself and my family or some crap, so they would think I was dead and therefore wouldn't search for me. I don't take up assassination contracts anymore because of that one. I couldn't do it because I didn't have a reason to do it. I realized that I couldn't kill someone without reason to do so." Finished Shade.

"Ok. That clears up why you don't take up assassination contracts, but it doesn't explain why you looked at me before saying that you wouldn't take up assassination contracts." Said Weiss.

"I'm getting to that. You noticed I never said the name of the person I was hired to kill. I only called them the target, or her, right?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, but I just assumed that was because you didn't remember her name." replied Weiss.

"No. I remember her name as clear as I remember mine, which by the way I still won't tell you." Said Shade.

"Ok. What was it?" asked Weiss.

"The name of the one I was hired to assassinate was…w-was…*mumble mumble*"

"I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?" asked Weiss.

"Her n-name w-was…Weiss Schnee." replied Shade.

 **Bombshells have been dropped in this chapter. First, both Velvet and Weiss are into Shade (Possible love triangle?), second, Shade was hired to kill Weiss, but chose to take a punishment instead. I'm sure most of you guessed both of those before this chapter, but still bombshells. Anyway I started this chapter at about 1 AM and now it's about 6:30 AM so it took me around 5 and a half hours to write this chapter. Also it is my longest chapter yet (Over 5,000 words. Checkpoint!). Anyway please let me know what I did well and what I could improve on, and I will see you all in the next chapter! I have decided that there will be no exact date for uploads, I'll just upload them the day I finish them, so if I have a good day with a lot of free time there may be multiple chapter uploads a day. Goodbye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello to all of you wonderful people who are reading this story! This is The Burning Ruler, and once again, I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. This is also my second upload in 24 hours. Inspiration just seems to hit me at night, but I don't know why. Most of the time I would write something else here, but I really can't think of anything right now. Also, I got two reviews since I uploaded the last chapter. I am way too happy about this, but I am so happy that I got my first reviews, and so, I shall answer them!**

 **Guest: Thank you very much. It's good to know someone is enjoying it.**

 **N7 Recruit: Alright, I'll try, but if I do, and it sucks to me/interferes with how I was planning this story to play out, I'll just end up deleting it, so if there isn't one, that will be why. Also thank you for following this story. It makes me happy to know you like it that much!**

 **Anyways, let's just start the next chapter shall we?**

Chapter 4: The First Date (Part 1)

"What? M-Me? You were on a job to kill me?" asked Weiss, understanding why he looked at her before.

"Yes. I was told to kill you, but I didn't. I realize that the fact that I was ready to may cause you to lose trust in me, but I hope it doesn't." responded Shade, ready for Weiss to run away from him.

To Shade's surprise, Weiss didn't leave. She simply lifted his face to look her in the eyes, and she slapped him.

"What are you talking about? If anything, that makes me trust you more. I mean, yes, you were prepared to kill me, and you almost did. But instead of killing me, a Schnee, who should've been your mortal enemy due to your Faunus heritage, you chose to let me live, and take a brutal punishment instead. Why would that make me trust you any less?" asked Weiss.

Shade didn't respond. Instead, he simply smiled and said "You really are something else, you know that? I think if I had told anyone else about that, they would've walked away right then and never have talked to me again."

"Not me. I'm more understanding than people think." Said Weiss, smiling.

"I can tell. Anyways, you are probably really tired. But I'm still full of adrenaline from recounting that story, so I'm gonna hang out here and train for a bit. You can stay too, but I think you'd be better off going back to the dorm and getting some sleep." Said Shade, heading down and drawing his swords.

"No. I'll stay here. Besides, this can only benefit me. If we ever end up sparring, I want to know what I'm up against" said Weiss.

"Alright, but don't think that I'm going to show you all of my secrets. After all, I can't give up the element of surprise now, can I?" responded Shade.

"No, I suppose not. But before you start, I do have one more question. How bad was the torture?" asked Weiss, curious.

"I really can't put it into words, so I can't tell you. But I can show you, if you want." Responded Shade.

"Please do." Requested Weiss.

Shade put down his swords, took off his shirt, and turned around to show Weiss his scars. Weiss looked at his back and immediately took note that his back was covered in deep whip marks, burn scars, and what looked like slash marks. But she noticed something else. Shade had a tattoo. Though he was standing far away, so she couldn't tell what it was. She made a mental note to ask later. With that, Shade put his shirt back on, picked up his swords, and started to train. The first thing that Weiss noticed, was that Shade was always very precise in his swings, never swinging somewhere without there being a purpose. Even when he missed, it seemed to be intentional. He also was able to dodge attacks easily by either jumping or ducking, but she noticed a few weaknesses. He didn't have amazing reaction time for vertical attacks, all of which he had to block. She also took note that even though he was precise in his swings, he slowed down for a few seconds after blocking. She then realized that she was starting to doze off. After another 15 minutes of trying desperately to stay awake, she couldn't fight it off anymore. She fell asleep. After another 15 minutes, Shade looked up to the stands to see Weiss asleep.

"I knew she couldn't stay awake this whole time." Said Shade, shaking his head. "Well, I'm done here. Better take her back to the dorm."

Shade went over to where Weiss was and picked her up bridal style. After picking her up, Weiss snuggled up to his chest. Shade then took note of how cute she looked when she slept.

'Why do I keep thinking things like that?' thought Shade. He eventually pushed that thought to the back of his mind, but it eventually was the only thing he could think about. He got back to the dorm and saw Pyrrha and Jaune coming back from the roof. They both saw him carrying Weiss, and gave him a questioning look.

"No. But I do need to talk to you Jaune. Alone. Just wait for me here, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Um, yeah sure. Whatever. I'll be back soon Pyrrha." Said Jaune.

"Ok." Responded Pyrrha.

Shade then walked into the room to see all the others sleeping. Shade put Weiss in her bed, covered her up and said goodnight. He then left the room to see Jaune looking at him angrily. Shade was at first confused, until he thought about it for a second.

"Oh. So you like Weiss huh?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, and if you know that, then why are you hitting on her?" asked Jaune, angry.

"I wasn't. We were in the training room, she fell asleep, so I carried her back. That's it." Explained Shade.

"Fine. Now stop being so nice to her. If you keep being nice to her, she'll fall for you before she falls for me." Said Jaune, seriously and trying to intimidate Shade.

"Really Jaune? Really? You're trying to intimidate me AND tell me what to do? Me?" asked Shade.

"No. I'm not trying to. I AM." Said Jaune, putting on a face that looked like he was trying to scare Shade.

"If you think you scare me, you are sadly mistaken. A scary face might work on a coward, but I'm not a coward. Try to remember this, the last man that tried to scare me, intimidate me, OR tell me what to do ended up dead within a minute. Now even though he wasn't a huntsman in training, or a friend, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. So don't test me, because you WILL fail." Said Shade intimidating Jaune.

"Ok ok, just don't try to seduce Weiss. I at least deserve a chance don't I?" asked Jaune.

"Honestly, yes you do. However, it's not me that gives you one. It's Weiss." Said Shade.

"Ok. Thanks Shade. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Jaune.

"Well, actually it's about Weiss. You can keep trying to get her, and most likely fail, OR you can go for someone who actually likes you." Said Shade.

"Someone who actually likes me? Who is that?" asked Jaune.

"Wait, you don't know? Honestly?" asked Shade, dumbfounded.

"Obviously not if I asked you. Now who is it?' asked Jaune.

"Wow, you really are dense. It's Pyrrha! How have you not noticed yet?!" asked Shade.

"What? Pyrrha, l-likes me? Are you sure?" asked Jaune.

"Why would I say that if I wasn't sure? But, you should know, if I was in your place, I would go for it ASAP, because she isn't the kind to wait around for too long." Shade lied, knowing she would likely wait until the end of time.

"Ok. I'll go for it now." Said Jaune. "Talk to you later Shade."

"Talk to you later Jaune." Replied Shade.

Shade then walked into his dorm. He took off his shirt and fell asleep on his bed.

In the middle of the night, Shade woke up with a scream. He quickly clamped his hands over his mouth, hoping he didn't wake anyone up. He looked around, and saw everyone else asleep.

'Thank God. I didn't wake up anyone, so I don't have to explain that to anyone tomorrow. It's probably for the best that I just forget that and go back to sleep.' Shade thought before going back to sleep.

The next day, all the girls woke up and saw that Shade was still sleeping, but decided that they should head into the shower before he woke up. They all finished showering, and Shade was still asleep. Out of nowhere, Shade was awoken by a loud knocking on the door. He got out of bed to answer the door, but Yang beat him to it.

"Hey Pyrrha wh-"Yang was cut off by Pyrrha running through the door tackling Shade to the ground, hugging him and kissing him , seemingly quite passionately, on the lips.

Shade once again saw this as an opportunity to be a smart ass.

"Whoa Pyrrha! I get that I'm irresistible, but I thought that you liked Jaune?" said Shade with a sly grin on his face.

"Oh shut up Shade! This is just a thank you!" yelled Pyrrha.

"Alright, alright. But can you get off me before Jaune shows up and gets the wrong idea again." Said Shade.

"Ok. Wait…wrong idea again? When was the first time?" asked Pyrrha, getting off Shade.

"Never mind that, I don't even know why I said that." Said Shade unconvincingly.

"You're a horrible liar Shade, you know that?" asked Weiss.

Goddamn it. "Alright I'll tell you. Remember last night? When I got back to the dorm and I was carrying Weiss?" asked Shade, before mentally slapping himself, realizing that Yang was in the room.

"YOU WHAT?!" asked Yang.

"Weiss fell asleep in the training room, so instead of being a horrible person and leaving her there, I carried her back to the room. That about sum it up?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. That clears it up." Said Yang.

"Anyways, as I was saying. After I left Weiss in her bed and walked back out to talk to Jaune, he thought that I was hitting on her. He then tried to tell me to stop being nice to her so she wouldn't fall for me." Said Shade. At this Weiss thought 'If only he knew' "He then tried to intimidate me, but after a small death threat, he simply asked me to not try to seduce her." Finished Shade.

"Ok. So that's it." Said Pyrrha.

"So wait, you are just going to ignore that he threatened Jaune's LIFE?!" asked Yang.

"Yep. Jaune tried to tell him what to do, and then he tried to intimidate Shade. That is just Shade's normal reaction to something like that." Explained Pyrrha.

"Ok, I'm not sure if I should be scared or proud that he stands up for himself with death threats." Said Weiss.

"I only threaten people who I know it will work on, so you should be happy that you will never see the face I make when I'm trying to intimidate someone." Replied Shade.

"Come on. It can't be that scary." Said Blake, laughing.

"Wanna bet on that Blake?" asked Shade.

"Sure, but how will we judge on that?" asked Blake.

"Yang cover your ears." said Shade and she complied. "20 lien says that I can get Yang to back away at my command."

"No chance that's going to happen. But if you want to bet, sure. It's on." Said Blake shaking Shade's hand.

"Ok Yang you can uncover your ears now." Said Ruby.

"Ok. So how are you guys goi-" She was cut off by Shade giving her his intimidation face. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eye was rolled into the back of his head, and his voice was deeper. Yang was visibly shaking. "Shade, what's up" she asked.

"SHUT UP!" Yelled Shade, sending chills up the spines of everyone in the room, except Yang, who was too scared to even move, and Pyrrha, who expected this. "Now back up."

"Why?" asked Yang, shaking.

"I said BACK UP! NOW!" yelled Shade, scaring Yang beyond belief.

"Ok, ok. Just calm down." Said Yang backing up four steps with her hands held up in a defensive manner. Everyone in the room other than Pyrrha, was in utter shock that Shade managed to intimidate Yang into doing what he said.

After Yang had backed up Shade brought his face back to normal. He then turned back to Blake smiling.

"Ok. You win." Said Blake, taking out her purse and handing Shade 20 lien. To her surprise, Shade just pushed it back to Blake. Blake was confused at this gesture.

"It's ok. You don't need to give me the 20 lien." Said Shade, smiling.

"What? But you won the bet. The bet was for 20 lien. Why don't I need to give you the 20 lien?" asked Blake, confused.

"I know. But I do have some honour. I knew that I would win the bet, and to me, it's only a bet if I also stand to lose something, which I didn't in this case." Explained Shade.

"Wow. Most people would only make a bet of they knew that they would win it. But you are pretty much the opposite. You'll only make a bet if you don't know if you are right. That's really nice." Said Ruby.

Blake simply put the 20 lien back in her purse and said "Thank you, but I can't feel right about this if you don't get something in return."

Shade simply waved it off. "No need. Seeing Yang scared shitless was MORE than enough of a reward for me."

"Alright, but I still don't feel right about it. How about tonight after class we head out for dinner or something? My treat." Asked Blake.

"What? You mean like a date?" asked Shade.

"Sure, if you want it to be." Said Blake.

"Alright then. See you tonight then." Said Shade.

"Ok. Pick me up around 6, ok?" asked Blake.

"Why would I need to pick you up? We stay in the same room." Asked Shade.

"I have an idea." Said a new voice as it joined the conversation.

"What? Jaune, when did you get here?" asked Pyrrha.

"Just now. Anyways, back to the matter at hand, if you want to make it more realistic, you could hang out in our room until it's time for your date Shade." Said Jaune.

"Really? Thanks Jaune." Said Shade. "Hey, no problem. I owe you for telling me about Pyrrha. Like you said, I never would've gotten her without your help."

"Ok. Then it's settled. Oh and Shade? Wear a suit or a tuxedo. We're going somewhere nice." Said Blake.

"Alright. In that case, Jaune, can you take this into your dorm?" asked Shade handing him the bag of clothes he bought yesterday.

"Sure thing." Jaune replied , taking the bag and bringing it into his room.

"Wait. Did you buy a suit yesterday?" asked Weiss.

"Yep. I decided that I should get one just in case. Why do you think I took so long there? Ren helped me pick it out because I'm not used to dress clothes. Now, I'm going to head into the shower. Be out in a sec." said Shade grabbing his uniform, making sure he had his shirt this time and walking into the bathroom. "Oh, and if you want to know about the scars, ask Weiss, she knows. But Weiss, only tell them about HOW I got them, not WHY I got them."

Before entering the bathroom, he heard the girls bombard Weiss with questions about the scars. Weiss turned to Shade with a look of anger. Shade simply winked back at her and entered the bathroom, but not before he saw Weiss blush with nervousness.

After showering, drying off and getting dressed in his uniform. Shade realized something.

"Oh my god. I'm going on a date with Blake aren't I?" Shade asked himself. "Well, this will be new."

Shade then exited the bathroom, fully clothed and went with his team, as well as team JNPR, to class. Grim studies seemed to go quicker to Shade, but then he realized that it was probably because he slept through half of the class. He was surprised that Professor Port hadn't noticed, but he wasn't complaining. Just like yesterday, History class was nothing special. After that class, the group of friends were walking to combat class, when Shade saw something. He saw Cardin and his gang pushing Velvet around. Shade then turned to his friends and told them to tell Goodwitch that he would be late to class.

"Why are you going to be late?" asked Weiss.

"I forgot my scroll in Oobleck's class." Responded Shade, mentally patting himself on the back for thinking about an excuse so quickly.

"Oh ok. We'll let her know." Replied Weiss.

"Ok, I'll see you in class." Said Shade before turning down the hall to Oobleck's class. However he ducked just out of sight and waited for his group of friends to be gone before taking off down the hall towards Cardin.

"HEY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU GUYS WOULD HAPPEN IF I EVER CAUGHT YOU HARSSING HER AGAIN?!" yelled Shade.

"You think that we're afraid of you? We are all here and ready to fight now." Said Cardin.

All the members of Team CRDL began drawing their weapons as Shade sighed and drew his swords.

It was a long fight. And Team CRDL only managed to get two hits on Shade before Shade had knocked Russell, Dove and Sky down. They were still conscious though. He wanted them to see what was going to happen to their leader, so they knew that he wasn't messing around. Shade immediately charged Cardin down before punching him in the stomach and slamming a forearm down on his back, making him fall on his face. Shade then kicked Cardin in the ribs. He then dragged him over to the locker that Velvet was standing next to. She was smiling, watching her crush beat the living hell out of the boys that were just harassing her. She almost enjoyed seeing them in pain.

"Is this your locker Velvet?" asked Shade, pointing to the locker she was next to.

"Yeah, why?" asked Velvet.

"Can you open it for me? I need to teach this guy a lesson." He looking at Cardin.

"Oh ok. Sure." Replied Velvet, opening her locker.

"Are you going to leave Velvet alone now?" Shade asked Cardin.

"Fuck…you…mutt…" Cardin struggled to say.

"Alright, don't say I didn't give you the opportunity to prevent this." Said Shade, shrugging.

What Shade did next was unexpected to say the least. Instead of putting Cardin in the locker and sending him off, which was what Velvet thought he was going to do, Shade only put Cardin's head in it. He then backed up a good five feet, and ran directly at the locker door. As he passed by it, he grabbed it and slammed it onto Cardin's head, knocking him out cold. He then pulled Cardin out of the locker to see that he was knocked out cold.

"Well he won't remember that." He then turned to the rest of Cardin's team. "This encounter never happened, got it?" asked Shade.

The rest of team CRDL nodded.

"Good. But, just to be sure." He then knocked them all out. He knew that they wouldn't remember this encounter.

"Wow. I didn't expect you to be so violent." Said Velvet, obviously referencing what he did to Cardin.

"Yeah. Anyways we should get to class, before-" Shade was then cut off by the bell ringing to signify the end of class. "Scratch that. We should get to the cafeteria so we can get something to eat." Shade said.

"Ok, but you know that your friends will be wondering where you were right?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. I got a story though. I was looking for my scroll and then we met up, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Got it. Let's go." Said Velvet leading him to the cafeteria.

When they arrived in the cafeteria, all his friends asked him where he was, and he told them the story he told Velvet. They all looked at Velvet for confirmation, and she said "Yeah that about sums it up."

"So Shade, ready for your date with Blake tonight?" asked Nora, teasingly.

"Jaune…did you tell her?" asked Shade.

"No. I only told Ren, and I told him not to tell Nora." He said.

"I didn't tell her." Said Ren.

"Then who told…" Shade trailed off. He then turned to look menacingly at Pyrrha, who had sunk back into her chair. She then laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry Shade." Pyrrha apologized.

"You are so lucky that you're an old friend of mine. If you weren't, I probably would've killed you." Said Shade.

"I know. That's why I told her before Yang could. I knew that if she told her, you wouldn't hesitate to kill her. So I told her so everyone here would survive." Explained Pyrrha.

"Smart." Said Shade.

They group started to talk about how class was, including what Shade had missed in Combat class. Before anyone knew it, lunch was over. They all went back to their dorms except for Shade who went to team JNPR's dorm, and Pyrrha who went to help Blake pick out a dress, because as Blake had put it, "She was the only one who dated Shade previously and knew what dress he would like."

As Shade was getting ready for the date (Brushing his hair and even styling it with some help from Ren, and putting on his tuxedo), Blake was getting ready with some help from Pyrrha.

"Wow Shade! You look great!" Exclaimed Nora.

Shade was wearing a normal black jacket over a red undershirt that was the same shade as his eye. He also wore a red tie that was the same shade as his under shirt. He also wore a pair of black pants.

"You think so?" asked Shade spinning around.

Nora then turned away, blushing.

"Damn. I'm pretty good at making girls nervous aren't I?" asked Shade chuckling.

"Sure seems that way." Said Jaune, laughing.

Before Shade knew it, it was time to pick Blake up.

"Good luck Shade." Said Ren and Jaune.

"Thanks guys." Said Shade.

"Oh and Shade? If you think you might get lucky, just send Ruby, Weiss and Yang over here. They can stay the night." Said Nora winking.

"Good god Nora! It's the first date. I always wait until at least the third." Said Shade winking back, seemingly not phased at all by what Nora just said.

Before anyone else could say anything, Shade left and knocked on team RWBY's dorm.

"I got it!" He heard Weiss call from inside.

In a few seconds, Weiss opened the door.

"Oh, hi Shade. BLAKE! YOUR DATE IS HERE!" yelled Weiss. She then whispered to Shade "Don't ask me why, but she said that since this was her first date ever, she wanted it to be as realistic as possible, so she told us all how to act."

"Alright." Shade whispered back.

Blake then walked out of the bathroom, and sent Shade into a state of absolute shock.

"Hello Shade. You look nice." Said Blake.

"Wow…" was the only thing that Shade could say in response.

 **Hey everyone! I know what you are probably thinking. "If this is an OC x Velvet story, then why isn't Shade going on a date with her?!" to which I reply, I never said that Velvet would be Shade's first date. But it is still an OC x Velvet story, and even though Shade isn't going to get together with her yet, he will in a future chapter. Anyways remember to leave a review of what you thought of this chapter and I will see you in the next Chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life! Goodbye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello once again everyone. This is The Burning Ruler back again with yet another chapter for all of you. I have a couple of things to say. First, good news for N7 Recruit. I found a way to work a love triangle into the story without it clashing too much with how I originally planned out the story, so there will most likely be one. Also, I feel like I should say, I had actually originally planned to end this after only one chapter, but after the response I got after the first chapter was posted, I had to continue it. Anyways, I don't own RWBY, because if I did, Shade would be added in.**

Chapter 5: The First Date (Part 2)

"You were right Pyrrha! He is speechless!" said Blake smiling at Shade, who was speechless, standing there with his mouth wide open, staring at Blake.

'She looks stunning' Shade thought to himself.

Blake was wearing a dress that looked purple, with a black belt around her had a cut up the right leg going up to her upper thigh, she was wearing black high heels, and as always, her black bow to cover her cat ears (An-the dress she wore to the dance).

"Hello? Remnant to Shade? You still in there?" asked Ruby, wondering if Shade had fallen asleep standing up with his eyes open.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine Ruby. But Blake, you look absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous, even." Said Shade.

"Thank you Shade. You look quite handsome yourself. You clean up much better than I expected. That was meant as a compliment, just so you know." Complimented Blake.

"Well, thank you. Shall we?" asked Shade holding his hand out to Blake.

Blake took his hand and walked out with him. "We shall. I'll be back eventually." Blake called out, after leaving.

'She is one lucky girl.' Thought Weiss, as Shade and Blake disappeared from her field of vision.

Blake and Shade soon got to the airships. While on their way to the city, Blake took off her bow went to put it in her pocket, until she realized she didn't have any pockets on her dress.

"Want me to hold onto that Blake?" offered Shade.

"Please do." Said Blake, grabbing his arm, and tying the ribbon around his wrist.

"There we go. Now there is no chance that you'll lose it." Said Shade.

"Yeah. Ok looks like the ship is about to land. Are you ready for our date?' asked Blake.

"Yep. You nervous?" asked Shade.

"Honestly, a little. I've never actually been on a date before." Admitted Blake.

"I have been. Don't worry about it. It's not that difficult. But the night is yours. Lead the way." Said Shade.

"Alright. Follow me." Said Blake, leading Shade through town. They eventually stopped at a very upscale looking restaurant.

"Are you sure we will be allowed in here? I mean this looks like a place that would discriminate against Faunus." Asked Shade, unsure.

"Don't worry about it. I'm good friends with the owner and I told him I'd be showing up around 6:30 with a friend, and told him to save us a private table. He should be waiting for us in front of the building." Explained Blake.

"Alright. Ladies first." Said Shade, letting Blake go in front of him.

"Such a gentleman." Said Blake.

"Ah Blake! You're here just on time. We have a private table waiting for you." Said the owner, leading Blake and Shade to their table.

"Thank you very much." Said Blake after arriving at the table.

Shade, being the gentleman he was, gladly pulled Blake's chair out for her. He then waited for Blake to sit down, and he pushed her chair back in. Then Shade sat down in his chair, across from Blake.

"When did you become such a gentleman?" asked Blake.

"I've been this way the whole time you've known me, I just only show it on dates." explained Shade.

"Alright." Said Blake. Then taking note of something odd, and giggling to herself.

"What?" asked Shade.

"I was just thinking about what kind of Faunus we are. I'm a cat, and you are a wolf, the ancestor to most dogs. Seems almost paradoxical to be on a date together." Said Blake, earning a small laugh from Shade.

"Yeah, you are right. It is kind of strange." Replied Shade. "But who's to say that strange is a bad thing?" asked Shade.

"I suppose you are right." Replied Blake.

The waiter soon came to the table to take their order. Blake ordered tuna and Shade ordered steak, medium-rare. The waiter left and came back soon with their orders. They two Faunus ate together until Shade decide to break the silence.

"Do you want to ask me any questions? I just realized we don't really know each other too well yet. SO, is there anything you want to know about me?" asked Shade.

"Really? How many questions can I ask, because I have a lot of them." Asked Blake.

"You can ask as many as you want. No limit." Responded Shade.

"My first question is, why did you get all those scars on your back and chest?" Asked Blake, and Shade told her the story that he recently told Weiss.

"Wow. You took a punishment to spare Weiss' life? That took guts." Said Blake.

"Yeah. So what's your next question?" asked Shade.

"Alright. How long did you and Pyrrha date for?" asked Blake.

"I believe that we dated for 2 years." Answered Shade.

"That long huh?" asked Blake.

"Yeah. Probably the happiest 2 years of my life so far, as long as we are being honest. Anyways, what's your next question?" asked Shade.

Blake knew what question she wanted to ask, but she didn't think that he would answer it, so she avoided that question for little while, asking other questions, only one of which was important.

"How long were you with the White Fang?" asked Blake.

"If I'm remembering correctly, about 2 years." Responded Shade.

Blake simply said "Alright."

"You look like you still have a few questions. Ask away." said Shade.

"My first question is, when you were with the White Fang, did you ever meet a man named Adam?" asked Blake.

"Adam huh? No, that name isn't ringing any bells. Why?" asked Blake.

"I had an old friend named Adam, and I haven't seen since he ran off to the White Fang, and I just wanted to know if he was Ok." Said Blake.

"Alright. So what's you next question?' asked Shade.

"I just want to know this for clarification. Are we Boyfriend and Girlfriend?" asked Blake.

"We are if you want to be. It's your choice. So, are we?" asked Shade right back.

"If it's my choice, then yes. We are." Replied Blake, smiling.

"Alright. So do you have any more questions?" asked Shade.

"Um only one. Its ok if you don't want to answer this one, but I just want to know." Said Blake nervously.

"Alright well you'll never know if you don't ask. So go ahead." Said Shade.

"Alright, I guess I have nothing to lose. I just want to know. What's you real name? Like your birth name?" asked Blake.

"Well, you were right about something. I don't want to answer that one. But I guess since we're dating as boyfriend and girlfriend, you deserve to know. My birth name is James. James Hill." replied James.

"James Hill. Ok." Said Blake.

"Blake, can I ask you a favour?" asked James.

"Of course James. What?" asked Blake.

"Is it ok if you only call me James when we are alone? I still don't want the others to know my real name." asked James.

"Ok. I'll still call you Shade in public places and when we are with friends." Replied Blake.

"Thank you Blake." Said Shade.

"No problem Shade. No problem at all." Replied Shade.

At this point they had finished their meals, and were just talking.

They looked over to the side of the table, and saw the bill. Shade immediately took out his wallet to pay the bill.

"What are you doing?" asked Blake.

"I'm paying the bill for my girlfriend. That's what a gentleman does." Replied Shade.

"We agreed that it was my treat, remember? As your reward for winning that bet?" asked Blake.

"Actually, I never agreed to it." Replied Shade.

The waiter then came over, but decided not to interrupt the couple.

"Well, I'm still going to-mmph!" Blake was shocked as Shade leaned over to her and kissed her. At first this caused Blake's eyes to widen, but she soon sunk into it, closed her eyes and kissed back. What Blake didn't see though, was that Shade was taking money out of his wallet and giving it to the waiter, leaving a relatively good tip. The waiter simply looked at the bill, then at Shade, and almost laughed at Shade's plan, and how simple but effective it was. Shade simply made a motion for him to hurry. The waiter the hurried off, put the money for the bill in the register, got out the change and held it out to Shade. Shade just gave him a look that said to keep it. The waiter put the change in his pocket, and said." I hope you enjoyed your dinner."

"Yes we did. Thank you very much." Shade said as he got up to leave.

"Wait. We haven't paid the bill yet. Have we?" asked Blake.

"Yes we have. Or rather, I have." Said Shade, flashing a smile at Blake.

"When did you…" Blake paused realized what had happened, and gave Shade a look of what seemed to be disapproval. "I thought I was going to pay." Said Blake.

"Evidently you thought wrong. Now let's go. I just thought of a couple places to go." Said Shade.

Blake followed Shade out of the restaurant, and followed him to the mall.

"Now if you feel like you need to spend money on me, at least make it on a surprise gift." Said Shade, as he let Blake go to whatever store she was going to get him a gift at. He left her to that, not just because he wanted his gift to be a surprise, but because he was going to get a gift for Blake too, and he knew exactly where to go. A small shop near the outside of the mall.

"Hey Matt." Said Shade as he walked into Matt's shop.

"Ah hello Shade, no new contracts I'm afraid." Replied Matt, but Shade simply shook his head.

"That's not what I'm here for." Said Shade.

"Oh really? In that case welcome to-" Matt was cut off.

"I've already heard it once, I don't need to hear it again." Said Shade.

"Come on just let me say it once? Pease?" asked Matt. Shade realized that it would take much longer fi he said no, so instead he said, "Fine, just make it quick."

"Ok. Welcome to Rings and Things. The finest jewellery store in all of Remnant." Said Matt, satisfied.

"Alright, do you remember that thing I ordered a while ago?" asked Shade.

"Yes of course I do. Why? Do you need it now?" asked Matt.

"Yes I do. How close are you to being done it?" asked Shade.

"Pretty much finished. I just need to set the stone in place. The only problem is, you still haven't told me what stone you want put in that place." Said Matt.

"I got an idea now. I want an onyx (Pronounced Onix, like the pokemon. It is a black gem) gem put in that place." Replied Shade.

"Alright will this one do?" asked Matt, pulling out an average sized onyx gem in the shape of a teardrop.

"Yes that will work perfectly. Just skip the pleasantries, how much?"

"It will be a total of 1000 Lien with a bit of a family and friends discount." Said Matt.

"Alright." said Shade, giving the money to Matt. "Just please hurry up. I need it done quickly."

"Alright." Matt went into a back room, and emerged 3 minutes later, holding Shade's order. "Here you are Shade." Said Matt giving it to Shade.

Shade took it, thanked Matt, and left to where he was when Blake left. He waited for a few more minutes until he saw Blake come out of a store, holding a bag, which presumably held Shade's gift, while Shade had his gift for Blake in his pocket.

"I assume you found something?" asked Shade.

"Yep. I hope you like it." Said Blake, unsure If he would or not.

"I'm sure I will. Now, I have one place left to show you." Said Shade.

"OK, lead the way honey." Said Blake, smiling.

Shade rolled his eyes at the honey comment, but played along with it. "OK, this way sweetie." Said Shade leading her to the end of an alley, that looked like it just ended in some bushes. Then Shade started to move some of the bushes out of the way so Blake could fit through. As Blake was about to walk through, she started to shiver. Shade took of his jacket and put it around Blake, moving the bushes out of the way once again. Blake then walked through the opening on the bushes, and walked into a beautiful flower garden. It was filled with all kinds of different flowers of different colors. Somehow, it was completely invisible from the outside.

"Wow. Its…Its beautiful Shade! How did you find this place? Actually, how did it stay hidden for so long?" Asked Blake.

"Well the answer to your first question is, one of my friends told me about it before I moved here, and he showed me a picture of it as proof of existence. The second part is him as well. His semblance is barriers. If he wants something hidden, he puts a barrier in front of it, and no one can see it unless they know it's there. That why you couldn't see it when we first showed up, but when you leave, you will see it clear as day. Anyways, I just thought I'd show you this place. Also, could we keep this our little secret?" asked Shade.

"Believe me. YOU'RE more likely to spill about this place then I am. No one else will know about this from me." Said Blake.

"Alright. Anyways, it's almost 9. We should probably head back to beacon now. Make sure our teammates don't worry about us too much." Said Shade.

"Ok let's go." Said Blake as they started making their way back to beacon. On the airship, Shade took Blake's bow off his arm and gave it back to her. She took it, but didn't put it on. She said that she wasn't going to hide it anymore. When they got back to beacon they went back to their team room, Blake gave Shade his jacket back, and they walked into the room. All the girls swarmed them with the same question. "Are you two dating now?" to which both Blake and Shade responded, simply with "Yes."

All the girls looked happy, and then they noticed that Blake had a bag with her.

"What's in there Blake?" asked Ruby.

"Oh right. I forgot to give you your gift Shade." Said Blake handing him the bag.

Shade reached into the bag and pulled out a sword sharpening kit. It also had a bunch of things that he could use to modify his swords to be more useful.

"WHOA! I have been looking everywhere for one of these! How did you find one so quick?" asked Shade.

"Well I have a friend who makes stuff like this and he just happened to have one left in stock." Said Blake.

"Wait, so you got him a gift, but he didn't get you one?" asked Weiss.

"Actually, he paid for dinner." Explained Blake.

"That I did. Also, who said I didn't get her a gift?" asked Shade.

"Wait. Did you get me a gift?" asked Blake.

"Yep. I got it from Matt. You see doesn't only handle mercenary contracts. He also owns a jewellery store." Said Shade as he took out what he bought from Matt and gave it to Blake. "I went there after you left to get me my gift."

Blake held up what Shade had bought her. It was beautifully crafted necklace with a white gold chain. There was place for a jewel to be set in made out of diamonds, and in that place was an average sized Onyx gem. Blake looked at it in awe. She then smiled. Afterwards she put it on her neck and all the girls got a good look at it.

"This must've cost you a fortune Shade." Commented Weiss.

It was at this point Blake began to wonder something. "Shade? How much did this cost?" she asked.

"I was hoping that wouldn't come up. Before I tell you, I want you to know that I would spend this much a hundred times over just to see you smile, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Ok." Said Blake.

"Alright enough with the mushy stuff you two. How much was it?" asked Yang.

"The total came to 1000 lien." Said Shade, causing everyone in the room to gasp.

"What?! Shade, you shouldn't spend so much on me." Said Blake.

"Well too late. Already did." Said Shade.

"I just have one question. How can you afford that?" asked Ruby.

"Well being a hired mercenary pays pretty well, as you might imagine." Said Shade.

"Wow. My boyfriend is rich." Said Blake.

"Well I wouldn't say rich. But I suppose I am fairly well off." Said Shade.

"Alright. So other than finding out that your boyfriend is 'fairly well off' as he put it, what was the biggest thing you learned about him?" asked Yang.

Blake looked at Shade, as if asking him for permission about something. Shade simply nodded.

"I learned his real name." said Blake.

"What is it? Tell us!" Ruby practically begged.

Blake once again looked at Shade for permission. Shade once again nodded.

"He would prefer that you still call him Shade, but his real name is James Hill." Said Blake.

"Alright. James Hill." Said Weiss. 'That name sounds familiar. But why?' thought Weiss.

"Anyways it's getting late, and I'm getting tired, so I'm heading to bed." Said Shade as he took off his shirt and climbed into his bed.

Blake was about to climb into her usual bed, until Weiss offered Blake her bed. At first Blake was confused but then, Weiss pointed over to her bed and showed that Shade was pretty much already sleeping in it. Blake walked over to the bed and fell asleep in her boyfriend's arms. Ruby and Yang also fell asleep quickly in their own beds. Weiss got into her new bed and thought 'Well, I waited too long, so now he's with Blake. But maybe I can start to get over him now. This might be for the best.' She honestly thought that she might get over him now, but deep down she knew that she wouldn't.

 **Hello again everyone! Again, this will be an OC x Velvet story, but there is reason for the slow buildup. Just trust me. It will all become clear in a later chapter. But for now, it seems like Shade is into Blake. You may also notice I divide this date into two parts. I did this because I thought that it would be better to have two average length chapters than one immense chapter. I hope that's ok. This is also my third chapter in 24 hours.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings once again everybody! I know that I have been updating a lot lately, but it's just that soon spring break starts so I won't be able to update next week very much so I'm updating as much as I can. Anyways this is the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. This has been a lot of fun and I'm really happy that I started this story. I was debating whether or not to actually write a story but eventually started to write one and it has been really fun. But anyways I have a review to respond to.**

 **N7 Recruit: Thank you very much. I was so worried that the date was going to suck because I have no experience in writing and I was even debating whether or not to write out the date, but eventually decided to. About your second comment, all I'm going to say is there is a reason that Shade/James isn't dating Weiss. I actually had an alternate ending where Blake feigned being sick and sending Weiss out on the date, but decided against using it.**

 **I don't own RWBY. But, without further ado, welcome to the next chapter!**

Chapter 6: Friends?

Shade woke up, and rubbed his eyes. He was about to get up when he realized that he was in bed with Blake. When he saw her lying next to him and holding him, he opted to stay in bed for a little longer. A few minutes later, Blake woke up. Blake got out of bed and so did Shade. Shade went into the bathroom for a shower. While he was in the shower Weiss woke up and saw Blake.

"Good morning Blake." Said Weiss.

"Good morning to you too Weiss." Replied Blake.

As the two girls chatted and waited for Shade to finish in the bathroom, Ruby and Yang woke up as well. Shade soon exited the bathroom without his shirt on and before Weiss could noticeably blush looking at his chest, she ran into the bathroom.

"Woah! That was fast." Remarked Ruby.

"Yeah. I don't think I have ever seen someone move that fast, except maybe you sis." Said Yang.

"It's almost as if she didn't want to see me. Weird. We were fine yesterday." Said Shade, confused as to why Weiss ran into the bathroom.

Soon Weiss left the bathroom and saw Shade sitting on his bed with Blake. They both had one of Shade's earbuds in and didn't notice that they were singing a duet of Monster by Skillet. They were both so distracted by the music, they didn't notice the others were leaving until Yang pulled Shade out of the room. Grimm studies was just like any other Grimm studies class, with Shade sleeping through one of Professor Port's stories. Once again history was just as uneventful as ever. But when combat class started, Shade could tell that today was going to suck the second Goodwitch told them what was going on in class.

"There will most likely be a time as a hunter or huntress where you will need to work together with someone you don't know particularly well. So, today, you will be placed in random pairs and will fight another random pair. However, before the matches begin, you will have some time to discuss with your partner a possible strategy." Said Goodwitch. She opened a randomizer. Shade watched as everyone in the class spun around on the randomizer, until it stopped and showed the teams. Some were going to be good, Nora and Yang, while some were going to be tough to see the too working together, such as Pyrrha and Russel. While Shade was looking through the teams, his heart skipped a beat when he saw his partner. Shade and…Cardin. Shade looked over at Cardin, sighed and realized that he couldn't get over this so he had to work together.

When Shade sat down next to Cardin. Cardin looked up and saw that they were paired together. "Dammit." Was all Cardin had to say.

"Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it. I know you don't like me and I CERTAINLEY don't like you. But if we are going to do this, we are going to have to do this together, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Alright. Look, I want to say I really am sorry for…well everything. Ok?" asked Cardin.

"Apology accepted. Now let's discuss strategy. I noticed in our fight that even though you aren't too fast, you hit hard. Meanwhile, I am fast but the only reason I hit as hard as I do is because I hit more often. So what I'm thinking is that, I start off with a hit and then you come in with a bigger hit. But that won't be enough if we fight someone just as fast as me like Ruby. So we should come up with some sort of team attack." Said Shade.

"But what would we do?" asked Cardin.

Shade and Cardin though for a while until Shade asked a question.

"How much can you lift?" asked Shade, with an idea.

"I believe my record is 250 pounds." Responded Cardin as Shade told Cardin his idea.

"That's good, but how will I know when to use it?" asked Cardin.

"Just wait for me to say now, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Got it." Responded Cardin.

"Ok class. I will now call out the matches. First we have Shade and Cardin vs Russel and Pyrrha." Announced Goodwitch.

"Alright, here we go Cardin." Said Shade.

The four students got up on stage and got ready to fight. It was a great match, neither team giving any ground, nor gaining any. The match looked like it might be brought to a stalemate. However, Shade landed hits on Pyrrha and Russel witch gave Cardin an opening. After knocking them both back Shade said "CARDIN, NOW!" Shade then jumped at Cardin. Cardin grabbed Shade by the ankles and spun him around a few times before throwing him at the other two. Shade spun in mid-air to hit Russel with a clothesline and trip Pyrrha so Cardin could knock her into the air. Shade then landed and started to run at Cardin, who was ready to launch Shade into the air. Shade stepped into Cardin's interlocked hands as Cardin sent him into the air. Shade hit Pyrrha down and she landed gut first on Cardin's knee. This drained Pyrrha's aura completely. When Shade landed elbow first on Russel, it put his aura into the red.

"And the winners are Cardin and Shade. Well done Boys!" congratulated Goodwitch. Cardin and Shade shared a chest bump after this and went back to their respective seats.

"Good job Shade. I assume that team attack was your idea?" asked Pyrrha holding her stomach.

"Yeah. Is your stomach Ok?" asked Shade worrying.

"Yeah. Just a little sore. You hit hard. Landing on Cardin's knee also wasn't the best feeling." Stated Pyrrha.

The last matches went by really quickly because Shade was busy assessing the strategies, wondering what everyone would come up with. Soon enough the class ended and everyone went to the cafeteria.

Shade sat down with his friends when Sun and Mercury showed up.

"Sup losers?" asked Sun, walking up to the group.

"Not much. How about you Sun?" Asked Sun.

"Same. But I do want to know what you were up to last night. I called you but you didn't answer." Said Sun.

"It must've been when me and Blake were on our date-" Shade was quickly cut off by a loud what coming from Sun, Mercury, and Velvet.

"WHAT?! YOU AND BLAKE ARE DATING?!" Velvet half asked, half yelled.

"Yeah. That's about the reaction I expected." Said Shade.

'Why did I wait so long? I should've told him. Now I can't have him.' Thought Velvet, threatening to let tears show, but none came.

After the group started talking amongst themselves, four unexpected guests showed up.

"Hey Shade." Said CRDL.

"Oh. Hey guys. What's up?" asked Shade.

Velvet immediately became scared when Cardin spoke.

"Not much. But, um, me and my teammates were wondering if we could sit with you guys today?" asked Cardin.

Shade looked at His friends, who gave him a look that clearly said that it was his choice.

"Alright but there are rules. One, we are all friends here. NO bullying. Two, there are three Faunus here. NO discrimination. And three, if you think someone has a blatant crush on someone else. You don't flirt with either of them. That last one was Yang and Nora's idea." Said Shade, explaining the rules of the group.

"Ok. So can we sit now?" asked Cardin.

Russel sat next to Shade and Dove sat next to Russel. Cardin was about to sit down next to Velvet, before he remembered how horribly he treated her before. He was about to sit somewhere else, when Velvet pulled him down to sit next to her.

"Wha-?" asked Cardin.

"If we are going to ever be friends, we need to get past this." Explained Velvet.

"Ok. As long as you are Ok with sitting next to me." Said Cardin.

As the group began talking again, Ozpin approached the table.

"Hello sir. What brings you here?" asked Shade.

"We are going around telling the students about a singing competition going on sometime. We hope you will enter." Explained Ozpin.

"Alright well thanks for letting me know." Said Shade.

"Farewell for now." Said Ozpin.

"Are any of you guys thinking of entering?" asked Cardin.

"I'm planning on it." Said Weiss.

"Me too." Said Velvet.

"How about you Shade? Are you going to?" asked Sun.

"Probably not." Replied Shade.

"You have too though!" yelled Ruby.

"Why is that?" asked Shade, confused.

"Well, you see. I'm turning 16 in about a month. It could be a birthday present for me!" said Ruby. "Plus you are a really good singer."

"Ok. I don't deny that and if you really want it to be a birthday present for you, then I'll enter." Said Shade, hesitantly.

"Ok, then let's sign up." Said Velvet before grabbing both Weiss and Shade and dragging them to the sign-up sheet. While they were looking for the sign-up sheet, the others were talking.

Sun and Ruby were talking an awful lot. Sun then realized that Yang was there.

"Hey Yang. Can I talk to you in private for a bit?" asked Sun.

"Yeah. Sure. Why not?" asked Yang. As the two exited the cafeteria, Sun just asked her.

"Yang, I want to know something. Can I have your permission to date Ruby?" asked Sun.

"REALLY?!" asked Ruby, who screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh crap. You heard that?" asked Sun.

Shade then got back with Weiss and Velvet. Shade immediately knew what was happening. Weiss and Velvet simply kept walking into the cafeteria.

"About time Sun." was all Shade said.

Ruby was beyond happy. Beyond ecstatic. Words could not describe how happy she was that Sun liked her back. But they also couldn't describe how she felt after Yang answered.

"Sun. I'm sorry. I just don't think you're right for her. So, right now, my answer is no." said Yang.

Ruby was heartbroken. She had gotten her hopes up, and now they just got shattered. Shade could swear that he heard Ruby's heart shatter within her. Ruby started to tear up before running up to the dorm. Shade shot Yang a glare of pure, unrivaled rage. He was ready to kill her. But he settled for just ignoring her and going after Ruby.

Yang walked back into the cafeteria. Mercury noticed her walk in.

"Hey Yang? I want to ask you something." Asked Mercury.

"Yes Mercury?" asked Yang.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go out for a movie tonight. Like a date." Said Mercury.

Yang was actually really happy. She had a crush on Mercury for a while now. She immediately said yes.

"Hey Yang? Where's my favorite monster?" asked Velvet, looking for Shade.

'Hmm. Does she like Shade?" thought Blake.

"He left with Ruby after I told Sun that he couldn't date her." Said Yang simply.

The group was shocked. Blake and Weiss immediately left to go to the dorm.

When they got there. Shade had already comforted Ruby and told her his plan.

"But what if you don't win? Or if you don't get one?" asked Ruby.

"I have an alternative, just play the part and it should work. It also gives me a reason to give it my all in the contest." Said Shade.

"Hey honey." Said Blake.

"Hi sweetie. What's up?" asked Shade.

"We were coming here to help with Ruby, but it seems like you have it under control." Said Blake.

"By the way, what was up with Velvet's name for you?" asked Weiss.

"I don't know honestly. She called me that once as a joke and it just stuck." Responded Shade, knowing what Weiss was talking about.

"Ok. SO I just have to be angry at Yang, and start being antisocial, right?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah. It would also help if you started wearing long sleeve shirts. Just to really sell it." Said Shade.

Blake and Weiss didn't really want to know what the plan was, so they just started to leave.

Shade and Ruby then came back to the cafeteria to eat.

Yang went to talk to Ruby, but Ruby just ignored her. Yang was sad about this, but she didn't want to push too hard, so she left it alone.

The whole group just sat together in an awkward silence until the school PA came on.

"Attention students. Starting tomorrow, all classes will be cancelled in to allow time for students to prepare for students. This will allow you to study on the classes you need to study for, while not being distracted by the classes you don't need help in. This will be all." Said Ozpin's voice over the intercom.

The whole school erupted in a chorus of cheers and woo-hoos. Even Weiss was excited. The whole group was happy.

"No classes for a month! YES!" Shade shouted at the top of his lungs giving a high-five to everyone in the group.

Everyone was excited, but Ruby stayed playing the part about being depressed. Everyone took notice of this and asked her what was wrong. She responded with a nothing. The group eventually decided to go into town to celebrate. They all took off towards the airship. When they landed in town, they passed Ruby's favourite bakery. Yang then asked if Ruby wanted her to buy her some cookies. Ruby just said no, which sent Yang into a state of absolute shock. Shade the offered to buy her some cookies, to which she said sure. Yang was still confused. Why didn't she want Yang to buy her cookies but was fine with Shade buying her cookies. After Ruby came out with a bag of cookies, but she still looked sad. Shade had to admit she was playing the part well. The group of people eventually decided to go to the arcade to play some games. When they got there, Shade bought everyone enough token for a long stay there and immediately went to the shooter games. Cardin went to the racing games along with his team. Ruby and Velvet decided to stay with Shade and play some of the shooters. No one else knew what to play, so they just went around. Weiss kept stealing glances at Shade when Blake wasn't looking.

'Why can't I get over him? What is wrong with me?" Weiss asked herself.

"What are you thinking about over there Weiss?" asked Pyrrha.

"I think you know." Replied Weiss.

"Yeah. This seems to be hitting you hard. You look like you're having hard time." Said Pyrrha.

"I just don't know what to do." Said Weiss. After Shade had finished the first stage of the game he was playing, he handed the gun to Ruby, looked over and caught Weiss stealing glances at him. He then walked over.

"What's up Weiss?" asked Shade.

"Not much. How about you?" asked Weiss, visibly nervous.

Shade decided to ignore her nervousness. "I want to know what is up. It looked like you were staring over there. At me in particular." Said Shade, calling her out.

"Well…Um…" Weiss was trying to get a coherent sentence out.

"What is it?" asked Shade, somewhat worried for Weiss' sanity.

Weiss then thought of something. 'Remember when you showed me your scars?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah? Why?" asked Shade, confused.

"Well, I saw a tattoo on your back then. I wanted to know what it was of." Responded Weiss.

"Oh ok. He then lifted up his shirt to show Weiss his back.

Weiss looked at the ink on Shade's back. At first it didn't look like anything. But as she stared at it, something started to stand out. Slightly, ever so slightly, it seemed to be moving.

"Strange." Said Weiss. "It looks like it's moving."

"It is. It's never the same image. It changes based on my mood. For example, right now I'm idle, so is it. Now if you'll follow me." Said Shade. He led Weiss over to the game he was playing, which Velvet was now playing, and doing quite well at it.

"Now, you should see it change." Weiss looked at his tattoo. It had changed into what looked like a thumbs up. "I'm currently proud of Velvet for doing so well, so it should be a thumbs up." Said Shade.

Shade then led Weiss over to what was a rage game. "Now watch this." Shade began playing it. The tattoo changed into what looked like a Beowolf. "Now I'm angry, so it should look like a Beowolf." Said Shade, clearly pissed off at the game. "That is only a few of the images that the tattoo can look like." Explained Shade.

"Ok. Thank you for sharing that with me." Said Weiss, thankfully. Sun came over to Shade, pulled him from Weiss, and asked him something.

"Ok. I'm up for it and yes, it is a lie. But I can take care of it. Don't worry." Weiss heard him say.

"Ok thanks man. I'm looking forward to it." Said Sun.

Weiss then walked up to Shade to ask him something.

"Do you know what song you're going to be doing?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah. I do. But, I'm not going to tell you. I want it to be a surprise." Said Shade.

"Alright then. What did Sun want to talk to you about?" asked Weiss.

"He wanted to know about Ruby and he needed my help with something." Answered Shade.

"With what?" asked Weiss.

"Well, have you ever heard of the band called The Fighting Faunus?" asked Shade. "They were a one hit wonder?" asked Shade.

"Oh yeah! I loved them but I heard that they broke up a while ago. Something about their lead singer wanting to stop and do something else? I was pretty sad that they weren't going to release any other songs after their 'Angel With a Shotgun' **(AN-Actually by The Cab)** , but what can you do?" said Weiss.

"Yeah. Well, I was the lead singer of The Fighting Faunus. Sun was Lead Guitar." Said Shade.

"THAT"S WHERE I KNEW YOUR NAME FROM!" yelled Weiss. This got the attention of everyone else.

"What's up Weiss?" asked Yang.

"Shade was the lead singer of The Fighting Faunus, and Sun was Lead Guitar!" yelled Weiss.

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled, even Pyrrha, who never knew.

"You see. This is the exact reason I didn't tell you guys my real name. I didn't want you guys to treat me any differently than when I was just one of you." Said Shade.

"Ok. We'll try to keep it down. But Ruby and I both loved your song." Said Yang.

"I think we all did." Said Cardin.

Everyone conclusively nodded.

"So, what did Sun want to ask you about?" asked Weiss.

"You'll find out. Just not now." Said Shade. "Anyways, it is getting late, so let's head back to Beacon."

Everyone left the arcade, went back to Beacon and went back to their dorms.

'I need to tell Blake don't I? But when is the right time to tell her?' thought Weiss.

"Hey Weiss. What are you thinking about?" asked Blake.

'Guess I'm telling her now then. Ok.' Thought Weiss.

"Can I talk to you in private?" asked Weiss.

"Um, ok? Sure?" Blake said, questioningly.

Weiss lead her away from the group.

"Ok. I'm just going to say it. I'm kind of in love with someone I can't be in love with. I thought these feelings would pass, but they keep coming back. It's gotten to the point where I can't stop thinking about him. Every time I see him, all I can feel is regret for not telling before he got together with his current girlfriend. I'm actually starting to worry about my health. I can't stop thinking about him. Whenever I close my eyes all I see is him. Even now. I want to know what you think I should do. Explained Weiss.

"Alright. So this guy's gf, is she a good girl?" asked Blake.

Weiss remained silent for a second. "Yeah. She's the best." Said Weiss.

"Ok. Well what I would do is just tell her. Even if it doesn't get you the guy, it might give you some closure about it." Said Blake.

"I don't know Blake." Said Weiss.

"Hey it's worth finding out. If you really like him." Said Blake.

"I do. So much. He's all that I can think about right now. Every night I dream about being with him. He's the only thing that I want right now, but he's also the only thing I can't have." Said Weiss.

"You know what Weiss. You just have to go for it. You owe it to yourself, and let me know how it works out, ok?" asked Blake as she walked away.

Just before Blake got away from Weiss, she blurted out. "It's Shade…"

Blake stopped dead in her tracks.

 **CLIFFHANGER! How will Blake react to this. The Ultimate Bombshell! Couple things to ask you all about. I'm thinking of adding in a Nora x Ren ship. Let me know if you want that. Also, let me know if you want all of the songs to be in the same chapter, or split up into two or three chapters. Popular vote wins! Also there was a reference to a TV show in this chapter. Leave me a review if you got it. I'll see you all in the next chapter! Goodbye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everybody! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I was originally going to make this the chapter of the singing contest, but realized that I only had one vote for how many chapters it would be in. Therefore I will leave this over spring break for more votes, which starts tomorrow and will go until the 29** **th** **by the way (Leap Year FTW). Now I believe that I have more reviews to respond to.**

 **Tyson113: Good to know that you're enjoying the fic. I hope you continue to read this fic and continue to enjoy it.**

 **N7 Recruit: You got it man. By the way, I just wanted to thank you in particular. You have already left 3 reviews over 6 Chapters and I never expected to have any reviews honestly. So sincerely, thank you.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, I don't own RWBY in any way. Now let's just get on with it.**

Chapter 7: What?

Blake and Weiss stayed silent for at least a full minute, but it felt like an eternity to Weiss. Neither one of them wanted to break the silence. Or rather, neither one knew how to break the silence. Eventually Blake spoke up.

"Did you just say it's Shade?" asked Blake.

"Yes. I did." Replied Weiss.

"Ok. Um…I…Just…How…Um…When? How long have you known?" asked Blake, unsure how to respond to it.

"I think since the day we met. But I have known for sure since we all went into town and went to the café." Replied Weiss, staring down at the ground, too ashamed to look her partner in the eyes.

"So, since before me and Shade got together?" asked Blake.

"Yes. I was actually planning on telling him the day you two went out, but when you offered to take him out on a date, I decided not to that day. When you got back, I won't lie, I was desperately hoping that the date had gone badly, so I still had a chance, but when I saw that you were holding hands and that your ears were showing, I knew that I had no chance. Ever since then, I thought that maybe I could get over him, but I was just a stupid optimist. I always thought that if I wanted something that I could have it, but I was stupid to think that, wasn't I? And now, I'm forced to see the only boy I have ever loved date someone else. And now, because I told his girlfriend, I going to lose one of my best friends too, aren't I?" Weiss rambled on and on, before Blake silenced her.

"Shhhh. It's Ok. I understand. I mean, it makes sense now. You don't need to worry, but you need to know that me and Shade are together and we may be together for a much longer time. However, I need you to promise me something. Can you do that?" asked Blake.

"Of course Blake. Anything, as long as we can stay friends." Replied Weiss.

"Of course we can. I want you to promise me that if we do break up, you won't hesitate at all to tell him your feelings, and if you do get together, you will treat him as the best thing that happened to you, because that is what he is to me." Said Blake.

"Of course I will. I wouldn't even dream of treating him any differently. Can you promise me something?" asked Weiss.

"Sure. As long as you aren't telling me to break up with him." Joked Blake.

"No, I'm not. Can you promise me that you won't tell anyone about what we just spoke about?" asked Weiss.

"Ok. I won't." promised Blake.

"Thank you." said Weiss.

But they didn't know that they had an eavesdropper. After seeing that Weiss and Blake had broken off from the group, a certain Faunus had followed them. Velvet was by the doorway, listening to what Weiss and Blake were talking about. Velvet's heart had shattered when she heard that Blake had told Weiss to go for Shade the second they broke up, if they did end up breaking up. If Weiss did, then she would never have a chance of getting Shade. But, maybe, if she did a different song than what she was planning, Shade would understand that it was for him, and that she loved him, and then she might have a chance. After going back to her team's dorm room and telling her teammates bout her feelings, she asked for a song that would work. Her team didn't know any, but when Velvet referred to Shade as her favourite monster, Coco had an idea. When she told Velvet about the song, she pulled it up on her scroll. After listening to it, Velvet then started to memorize the song, and she knew that it would work. She thanked Coco, and was simply told that she needed to tell him in person as well, just to make sure that he got it. She said she would.

Meanwhile, the rest of team RWBY, plus Shade were wandering around the school looking for Weiss and Blake. Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha had joined the search as well. They were currently in groups while looking. Shade and Ren were looking together, as well as Jaune and Ruby, and finally Pyrrha and Yang. They were all talking about different things.

With Shade and Ren.

"Where could they have gone to? They were with us the whole time. I really wish that my girlfriend wasn't a ninja." Said Shade.

"That makes sense." Replied Ren.

"So Ren? Do you happen to like anyone here? I mean as more than just friend." Asked Shade.

"Um…well…kind of?" said Ren, questioningly. "But, there is a problem."

"Really? Who is it? Maybe I can help you out." Said Shade.

'Well, a little help couldn't hurt, I guess.' Thought Ren. "Alright, but you can't tell anyone about this conversation, Ok?"

"You got it man. So who is it and what's the problem?" asked Shade.

"Ok. It's Nora. I have had a crush on her for a while now, but I don't think she likes me like that." Said Ren.

"Ok. Why don't you think she likes you?" asked Shade, trying to better understand the situation.

"Well, the first day here, when she was planning to get on the same team as me, whenever she said together, she followed with, but not together, together, because that would be weird wouldn't it?" said Ren.

"Ah. So instant friend-zone huh?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. But you see, we were talking in the dorm, and she told me that she was falling for Cardin, and I don't know what to do! I need to stop her from getting together with Cardin, and to fall for me instead." Said Ren.

"Ok I have an idea, but I need to know something. Do you have a good singing voice?" asked Shade.

"Not a good enough one for what you are thinking. Also, I can't perform in front of people." Replied Ren, knowing what Shade was going to suggest.

"Alright then. Would you be Ok with someone singing in your place?" asked Shade.

"Well, I guess so, but who?" asked Ren.

"I think I know who would be willing to." Said Ozpin, joining in at that point.

"Who then?" asked Ren.

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe that Shade is offering to do it for you. Normally, this wouldn't be allowed; however, I will allow Shade to sing multiple times. I also spoke to Sun, and it is going to happen Shade, at the end after the winner is announced." Said Ozpin.

"Really?! You would do that for me Shade?!" asked Ren, baffled.

"Of course I would. You are my friend after all aren't you?" asked Shade. "But I just need to know something so I make sure that I pick the right song. What do you think of her?" asked Shade.

"I love her. I always think about her. Actually, so much so, that I have a picture of her in my wallet. Whenever I look at her I see heaven. I'd do anything just to be next to her, even if it's something I hate." Said Ren.

"Alright. That's enough. I got the perfect song." Said Shade, knowing what he had to work with.

Ren just thanked Shade, and continued to search for Blake and/or Weiss along with Shade after Ozpin seemingly disappeared.

With Ruby and Jaune.

"They aren't here either. They just disappeared didn't they?" asked Jaune, leaving then training room.

"Yeah they did." Said Ruby, still pretending to be depressed.

"Ok, what is wrong Ruby? You are acting really depressed and everyone is worried about you." Asked Jaune.

Ruby wasn't planning on telling him, but Jaune seemed really worried about her health.

"Alright I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone, got it?" asked Ruby.

"Of course. What's up?" asked Jaune.

"Alright, it all started when Yang told Sun that he couldn't date me." Said Ruby, beginning the story.

On the day of Ruby's heartbreak.

Ruby just ran. She ran and ran until she got back to her dorm. She jumped onto her bed and started to cry her eyes out. Her heart couldn't handle what she had just heard. The only thing that she wanted was Sun, but Yang just said that she couldn't have him, or rather that he couldn't have her, but it was basically the same thing. Either way, it couldn't have hit her harder. She felt like dying, thinking that may be better than living on without love in her life. It was at this point that Shade came bursting into the room, with his eyes showing a mix of sympathy and anger. After seeing Ruby, all the anger left his eyes and sympathy took over. He just jumped up onto Ruby's bunk and hugged her. He stayed like that until she stopped crying. Shade somewhat felt like this was partially his fault. If he hadn't told Ruby that Sun liked her back, she may not be as heart broken, but the he realized that it would've been the same, because she heard Sun tell Yang that he liked her. When Ruby stopped crying, she told Shade to let her go. When he did, she went up to the roof, and Shade followed her. When he got up to the roof, Ruby was on the edge, and she jumped off. Shade ran over to her. He was barely in time to catch her.

"Shade, just let me go." Said Ruby.

"No. You can't do this!" yelled Shade.

"Why not. It would eliminate the possibility of everything getting worse. Wouldn't it?" asked Ruby.

"No it wouldn't. Suicide doesn't eliminate the possibility of things getting worse. It only eliminates the chance of things ever getting better." Said Shade, pulling Ruby back up.

Ruby was about to attempt suicide again, but Shade said he had an idea.

"What?" asked Ruby.

"Follow me." Said Shade.

He led her back to the dorm room.

"Ok, here's the plan. You're part is easy. All you need to do is pretend to be depressed and start being antisocial. Also, just start ignoring Yang, unless she asks you a question that you need to answer. What I'm going to do is win the singing contest. If I do that, I may get an encore, and then I could sing a song, that would knock some sense into Yang. If I do that, she may realize that Sun is right for you, and change her mind. Then you and Sun could be together." explained Shade.

Back to present day.

"So I've been playing my part, and now I just need Shade to finish his part." Finished Ruby.

"Ok. Now it makes sense. Can Shade do it?" asked Jaune.

"All of my energy is going into not asking that question. But, I believe that he can. He was the lead singer of a band at one point you know." Said Ruby.

"Good point. If anyone can do it, it's him." Said Jaune.

"Yeah. I know. I just hope that his encore gets through Yang's thick skull." Said Ruby.

"Yeah. But we should probably keep looking for Weiss and Blake huh?" asked Jaune.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Ruby, playing the part again.

'That is very convincing for an act.' Thought Jaune. 'I hope Shade can pull it off.'

With Pyrrha and Yang.

"Where could they be?" asked Yang.

"I don't know. How did they get away from us so fast? One second they were there and the next, gone." Said Pyrrha.

Pyrrha saw Velvet run by, and ran after her, with Yang trailing behind. Pyrrha thought that maybe Velvet had seen Weiss and Blake. When Pyrrha saw Velvet enter her team's dorm, she listened to the conversation going on.

"I need help guys!" she heard Velvet say.

"What's wrong? Asked Coco, worried about her teammate.

"Yeah. You look really shaken up about something." Asked Yatsuhashi.

Fox just looked at her, concerned.

"Well, you see. I'm in love with a guy, but he already has a girlfriend, and I just found out that another girl loves him too." Explained Velvet.

"Wow. This guy must be hotter than a warm day in hell." Said Coco. "Who's the lady killer?" asked Coco.

"It's that guy that came here not that long ago. Shade." Said Velvet.

"Oh. You mean Blake's boyfriend right?" Asked Yatsuhashi.

"Yeah, him." Answered Velvet.

"Who else loves him?" asked Coco.

"I just found out that Weiss loves him too." Said Velvet.

"Wow. You seem to have some tough competition." Said Coco.

"REALLY?! I never would've guessed that on my own. Now HELP ME! WHAT DO I DO?!" asked Velvet.

"Alright. You're entering the singing contest right?" asked Coco.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Velvet.

"Well, you could sing a song that tells him that you love him." Said Coco.

"I could, but I don't know any songs like that." Replied Velvet.

"Well, maybe we can help with that. Do you have anything we could work with?" asked Coco.

"Um. I don't know if this will help, but it's all I can think of. I call him my favourite monster." Said Velvet.

"Hmm. Not a lot to work with. You got anything Yatsu?" asked Coco.

"No. What about you Fox?" asked Yatsuhashi, turning to Fox.

Fox was silent, but was typing furiously on his scroll. He then handed it to Velvet and hit play.

The song started to play, and the more Velvet listened to it, the more perfect she thought it was.

When it finished, Velvet restarted the song and decided to memorize it. She thanked Fox.

After that she heard someone knock on the door. Coco opened it. It was Pyrrha and Yang.

They asked Velvet if she had seen Weiss or Blake lately. Velvet said that they were just down the hall. Pyrrha and Yang thanked her and went to find them. When they did, they called everyone and said they found her. Everyone said goodbye and went back to their dorms. Team RWBY met up in their dorm and asked Weiss and Blake what was up. Weiss and Blake said that nothing was wrong. Blake was a good liar, so everyone believed her. Everyone the turned to Ruby who just blurted out that it was her birthday tomorrow. Everyone but Shade said they knew because Yang told them, and that they already had all their presents hidden away. At this everyone realized how tired they were, and they all went to bed and fell asleep instantly. Ruby, thinking about all the presents she would get tomorrow, Yang about how she could make Ruby happy again, Blake about what Weiss told her, Shade about the contest and Weiss about the only thing she could think about, Shade.

 **There you have it. Blake knows about Weiss' feelings, Pyrrha knows about Velvet's, and Shade knows about neither. But he will. The only question is when will he find out? Who knows? Well, I do, but I'm not going to tell you when. Look forward to the next chapter, it will be out next weekend, if I get the time to write. Have a good time and I will see you in the next chapter. Also, I realized that I may not be using the term 'ship' right. When I say ship, I mean getting them together, at least for a little while. Let me know if I'm using it right with a review. I'll see you in the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I have also decided to let you know, if I say that a chapter will come out on a certain day, don't expect it to come out on that day. I still only have one vote for the singing contest so this chapter may or may not include the singing contest. It depends where I am after I finish what I want to put in. We'll see how it goes from there. But, to the responses to the reviews I got.**

 **N7 Recruit: First, thank you for letting me know. The answer to your second question is a bit of a long story. I had planned this to be an OC x Velvet story from the beginning, but I also wanted all the other main characters to have a romantic interest (Team CRDL becoming main came later so I don't have one planned for any of them but if you have ideas for them, let me know, but don't make them any of the members of Team JNPR or RWBY. I have them covered and but OCs from fans would be interesting, so if you have one that you want in this story, send me a PM.) . For Team JNPR, it was easy, just pair them with each other, but it was harder for Team RWBY, because they don't really have any love interests. After thinking for a little I was just left with Ruby, who is my favourite female character. At this point, I had Sun paired with Blake, as expected. However, I also realized that, after Ren who I had already paired with Nora, Sun is my favourite male character. So I took his pairing with Blake off and paired her with someone else, and decide to pair him with Ruby instead. Also, I just think that they are an adorable couple. That's why I paired them together.**

 **So, now that that's out of the way, I don't own RWBY, and let's get started.**

Chapter 8: Sing Stars

Shade woke up before anyone else. He quickly decided to hop in the shower and get that over with before Yang used all the hot water washing her hair.

'She cares too much about her hair.' Thought Shade, 'I could use that against her, if need be.'

After Shade finished showering, Blake had woken up. She kissed Shade before hopping in the shower.

'God I love her.' Thought Shade, 'And thank God she loves me too.'

Shade just really thought about that for a second. She does love him too, right? I mean, it seems like it, but she hasn't said it, but then again, neither have I. Maybe I should ask her when she gets out of the shower. It was right after thinking this that Shade heard a mumble from the other side of the room, where Weiss was sleeping.

'Is she dreaming?' Shade asked himself.

It was at this point that Shade heard something he didn't expect. He wasn't sure, but he thought that he heard a moan coming from Weiss.

'Well, then. That was unexpected. Wonder who she's dreaming about.' Thought Shade.

Shade then heard Weiss moan again, but this time, she moaned twice, louder, and a name accompanied the moans.

"OH…OH…SHADE!" Weiss screamed out in her sleep.

'What?' thought Shade. 'ME?!' Shade asked himself.

This caught Shade off guard. Never would he have expected Weiss to treat him as as good of a friend as she has much less more. Especially considering that he was a former member of the White Fang. But now it seems that she may like Shade as more than a friend. Shade quickly realized some small things about Weiss. The way she was nervous around him, the way she blushed whenever he was near. This also explained why she didn't laugh so hard at his joke about him being gay back at the café. She was unhappy because she was really worried that she had no chance and that he had used that to get a cheap laugh in her eyes. Everything fit together almost too well. It was at this moment Shade knew that Weiss liked him just as much, if not more than Blake did. Shade thought that it couldn't get worse, but he was so wrong. Shade then noticed that he was noticing little things about Weiss that he didn't before. Like how perfect her hair was, even though it hadn't been brushed yet. He also acknowledged that she looks cute when she is asleep.

'This is bad. Very, VERY BAD!' Shade shouted in his head.

This was when Blake walked back into the room again. The first thing she noticed was the look of absolute terror on Shade's face. She started to get worried.

"What's wrong Hun?" asked Blake, concerned.

Shade simply asked Blake to come into the hallway with him really quick. Blake, of course, followed him without question. This was where he told Blake everything that had just transpired in the room while she was in the shower. When he finished, Blake was shocked. Weiss had unknowingly, thrown a huge monkey wrench into Shade and Blake's relationship. Blake only asked Shade one question.

"How do you feel about her?" she asked, pretty much knowing the answer. "I-I'm not sure. I want to still be with you, but, now I'm starting to feel the same way about Weiss as I do about you. I'm sorry about this Blake, but, I think it is best that we break up, at least until I find out about how I feel about Weiss as well. Please say that you understand." Shade pleaded.

"Of course I understand! If I was in your position, I would be the exact same way!" Blake practically scolded Shade for even thinking that she wouldn't.

"Thank you Blake." Said Shade.

"Just promise me something. If you found out that you do love her more than me or even the same amount, you will go for her. I understand, but if Weiss finds out that you loved her as well, and you chose me over her, I might lose her friendship, as well as you might lose her. On the other hand, if you don't love her as much as me, please come back to me Shade." Asked Blake.

"Of course Blake. Just know that if I don't pick you, you have been the best girlfriend a guy could possibly ask for, and if I hadn't found out about this, I would've probably asked you to marry me the day we graduated, or at least eventually." Said Shade.

"Thank you Shade. That means a lot to me. Especially coming from you." Said Blake.

Shade simply smiled back at Blake. He and Blake then re-entered the dorm. It was at this point that all the others woke up, got in the shower, got dressed and was ready to go to the cafeteria to get breakfast. They were all about to leave when Shade said "Wait Weiss? Can I talk to you for a couple seconds? I need to ask you about something."

"Um, sure. We'll catch up with the rest of you later Ok?" asked Weiss.

"Ok, we'll see you in the cafeteria then." Called Blake, looking at Shade.

Shade simply looked back at her, mouthed the words 'I'm pretty sure. I'm so sorry. But, maybe I misheard her. You never know.' while flashing her a melancholic/sad smile.

Blake simply looked back at him, and mouthed the words 'Ok. Good luck.' back to him. She then walked away with the group.

"So, what's up Shade?" asked Weiss, confused about why she had asked her to stay instead of Blake.

"Um…well…you see…The thing is…" Shade started, unable to get a sentence out.

"Shaaaaaaaade?" asked Weiss, stretching his name out in confusion.

"Umm. I have to ask you something." said Shade.

"Um, Ok? About what?" asked Weiss, confused about what Shade meant.

"Well, it may have only been my imagination or my ears playing tricks on me, but when I woke up this morning, I heard you mumbling to yourself. Then you started to moan. I knew that you were dreaming about a guy at this point, but then you moaned louder, and said…my name." explained Shade.

'WHA- He HEARD THAT?!' Weiss asked herself, trying to think of whether or not she should tell him about her feelings.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, and whatever you say, I'll believe you. Do you have feelings for me? And just so you know, I DON'T mean as a friend. I mean as a boyfriend. Do you want to be where Blake is with me?" asked Shade.

Weiss looked at him. For the first time Shade's face was unreadable. It was monotone. She decided that she shouldn't tell him her feelings. He was still with Blake, and she promised Blake that she wouldn't tell him until they broke up. She didn't know that they were already broken up. "NO Shade! Of course I don't like you like that! That would be weird wouldn't it?" said Weiss in a laughing manner.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that would be weird…nevermind then." Said Shade, almost visibly in tears but still trying to make it seem like a joke.

Weiss then immediately regretted her decision to lie to Shade. This was also when something strange happened. Shade said a few simple words, but it looked like he had said something else. It looked like he had gave a long speech about him loving her, and being depressed about assuming wrong, as well as a flurry of apologies. But to Weiss, all she heard was "Wake up Weiss. Come on, wake up already." She heard Shade's voice say.

Suddenly, Weiss awoke from dreamland, into the real world to see the focus of her dreams looking her in the eyes. He just stared into her ice blue eyes as she stared back into his fire red eyes. She awoke to realize that her dream was sending her a message. It couldn't have been clearer. 'Shade likes you too so stop being such a coward and tell him already!' or at least something to that effect.

 **(AN-This is where I was going to cut this chapter off originally, but this would just be too short for me, so I will be including the singing contest in this.)**

"About time you woke up! The others have already gone to the cafeteria, so we should catch up. Get into the shower quickly so we don't fall too far behind." Said Shade.

Weiss complied immediately, grabbing her clothes and getting into the shower really quickly. She was done in almost 3 minutes. After she left the bathroom, Shade said that he had gotten a message that the others were at the cafeteria and that we should get there quickly because, as Yang put it 'You have GOT to see this.' So when Shade started to take off full speed down the hall, he realized Weiss couldn't keep up with him. Not wanting to leave her behind, he went back and told Weiss to get on his back. He quickly picked her up and carried her to the cafeteria. Before entering he put her down.

"Probably want to get off here. Don't want any of the others to think we're dating do we?" asked Shade in a joking manner.

"Yeah. Good point." Replied Weiss, but she sounded depressed. Shade didn't pick up on it.

They both entered the cafeteria to see what was so important. They walked over to their table to see all their friends. They were all looking at one thing, or rather, one person. They looked over all their friends, who had now noticed their presence. They immediately noticed what it was.

"Jaune? What happened man?!" asked Shade, unable to contain his laughter any longer. Weiss was already laughing. Jaune was wearing a bright pink dress.

"I'll just warn you. NEVER play truth or dare with Nora." Jaune was going to continue, but was interrupted by Yang.

"You played truth or dare and you DIDN'T invite us?" asked Yang.

"No, sorry. But we're playing again tonight after the singing contest, so do you want to come over tonight?" asked Jaune.

All of them immediately said yes. Just then Ozpin came up to the group.

"Ah hello. Just the boy I wanted to see." Said Ozpin.

"Hello Ozpin. How are you?" asked Shade.

"I am good. I need to know something from you though." Said Ozpin.

"Very well. Ask away." Replied Shade.

"I would like to know if you could host the singing contest tonight. Introducing the contestants as well as filling for any people who may be missing due to injury or illness." Asked Ozpin.

"Of course I will." Replied Shade with no hesitation.

"Great. Here is a list of the contestants in the order they will go in." said Ozpin, handing him a sheet of paper.

"Thank you Ozpin." Said Shade holding the paper.

Then Ozpin seemed to disappear into thin air. The group of friends started to talk, until Cardin asked Shade for a favour.

"What's up Cardin?" asked Shade.

"How good are you at rapping?" asked Cardin.

"I'm decent. Why?" asked Shade.

"I want to rap battle you at the contest tonight." Said Cardin.

"I'm in. It's on." Said Shade, looking at Cardin with a look of bring it on.

The group then started to talk again. Suddenly, Sun came up to the group with Mercury next to him. Sun quickly took Shade and Mercury with him into the hall.

"What's up Sun?" asked Shade before he saw a fourth person in the hall. He recognized this person. It was Sarah. A bear Faunus and the bass guitarist of The Fighting Faunus. She had brown hair, green eyes and two bear ears on her head.

"Hey Sarah. I assume you're here for the show." Said Shade already knowing that is why she was here.

"Of course. Steve couldn't make it. His mom was sick." Steve was Sarah's best friend and the drummer for The Fighting Faunus.

"Then who will be our drummer?" Shade asked until he noticed Mercury. He then looked at Sun, who just nodded.

"Alright then. You know the song?" asked Shade.

"Of course I do." Said Mercury.

"Alright then we are ready. See you guys tonight. It going to be a good time" said Shade.

The group of people went into the cafeteria , where Shade needed to introduce Sarah to the group, and she was swarmed with questions and praise from the group. She quickly stopped them, but she was happy that so many people liked what she and her friends did.

"So Shade, who's the girl?" asked Sarah when she noticed Shade and Blake sitting with their arms wrapped around each other.

"My girlfriend Blake." Replied Shade with no hesitation. This sent a crack through Weiss' heart.

'Right. He loves her. You need to wait.' Reminded the more logical side of her brain. 'But I love him too. I need to tell him.' Reasoned the more lustful side of her brain. Eventually, she sided with the lustful side, and resolved to tell him after the contest, but only if Blake was there too, out of courtesy.

The group started to get up to go into town to get ready for the contest, which would start in about 5 hours. They had some time to kill. They decided to go to the café they went to the first time they came here.

"Everybody getting the same thing as last time?" asked Pyrrha. Everyone nodded and Weiss went up with Pyrrha and Sarah to get all the drinks. Sarah was with them because Blake, Nora, Sun, Mercury, and she were all there this time.

"Weiss do you mind if I bring THAT up here?" asked Pyrrha.

"If you want to." Said Weiss hesitantly.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Sarah.

"Weiss is in love with Shade and he's already dating Blake." Explained Pyrrha.

"Wow. The lady killer returns!" Said Sarah.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Weiss confused.

"Well, back in Mistral, Shade had girls clamoring over each other to ask him out, but because he was with Pyrrha, they all had no chance, even after they broke up." Said Sarah, making Pyrrha blush.

This made Weiss more nervous. She had already decided to tell him after the contest, but what if this got rid of any chance of them ever getting together? She quickly resolved to push this from her mind and tell him anyways. After getting their drinks, Shade saw Weiss and Velvet looking at him every once in a while. This confused him at first, but he quickly shrugged it off. After wasting three hours talking at the café, they went to the school's training room to spar against each other. Only a few people decided to fight as the others had a singing contest to go to. Yang and Blake fought against Ruby and Nora. Nora and Ruby won when Yang was distracted by Ruby eliminating Blake and Nora knocked her into the wall.

After wasting another hour there, the people began heading to the area where Ozpin announced the teams, where the contest would take place. There were chairs set up everywhere, and there were also speakers for students who couldn't play musical instruments. They weren't the first students to get there, but they also weren't the last. Shade called out everyone and told them what order they would be going in. Ozpin showed up about 5 minutes before everyone would start arriving. He told everyone that Shade would have multiple performances and everyone was ok with it. When students started arriving, all the performers got behind the curtain that separated the stage from backstage. Blake showed up backstage to wish Shade good luck with a kiss. Weiss saw this from afar and grew jealous. Not long after this Ozpin introduced Shade as the host. Shade walked out and took place at the podium.

"How everyone doing today?!" he asked the crowd. Everyone cheered loudly.

"That's what I like to hear. After all the performances are finished, you will all vote for a winner at the back. After the winner is announced, we have…let's say…a special surprise for everyone, but enough of my rambling. Now we got a lot of performances to get through so how about we get started?" he asked the crowd. More cheers came.

"Alright. Let's go then!" he yelled introducing the first few people. They all performed well, but nothing too spectacular.

"There we go, those were some fine performances. Up next we have someone who says they can sing, but people only think that she can sing slow songs, and she is out to prove them wrong. He is…Weiss Schnee!' Yelled Shade as Weiss came out to sing.

 **(Singing contest now. If there is a * next to the closing bracket it means that I recommend the nightcore version of this song.)**

 **(Cue Pretty Little Psycho by Porcelain Black)***

 **Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Walkin', talkin' like you know  
I want your pretty little psycho**

 **(Pretty little psycho)**

Weiss came out to prove that she could sing more than just slow songs, and she was proving that.

 **I'm ready to go, I'm taking chances  
Sippin' less from champagne glasses  
Gotta have you, I'm movin' closer  
I won't take no for an answer**

 **You're lookin' crazy, you're lookin' wrong  
It looks like we're gonna get along  
And once I've got you, it's a fact  
Baby, there's no turning back**

 **Make me, make me impressed  
Make me, make me obsessed**

 **Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Walkin', talkin' like you know  
I want your pretty little psycho  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Baby strike a pose  
I want your pretty little psycho**

 **Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little  
Pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little  
Pretty little psycho**

 **Black lipstick just like a cat  
Have you purrin' on your back  
Tip the glass, now light it up  
Rebel, rebel can't get enough**

 **You're lookin' crazy, you're lookin' wrong  
We look like we belong  
And once I've got you, it's a fact  
Baby, there's no turning back**

 **Make me, make me impressed  
Make me, make me obsessed**

 **Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Walkin', talkin' like you know  
I want your pretty little psycho  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Baby strike a pose  
I want your pretty little psycho**

 **Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little  
Pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little  
Pretty little psycho**

Blake was wondering if this song was for Shade, and Shade was wondering the same thing, but brushed it off as a coincidence thinking there was no way she could like him, right? ****

 **There's somethin' about you driving me mad  
There's somethin' about you I've got to have  
There's somethin' about you  
There's somethin' about you  
** _ **[x2]**_ ****

 **Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Walkin', talkin' like you know  
I want your pretty little psycho  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, here we go  
Baby strike a pose  
I want your pretty little psycho  
** _ **[x2]**_ ****

 **Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little  
Pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little psycho  
Pretty little, pretty little  
Pretty little psycho**

Weiss had gotten a louder cheering from the crowd than anyone before. She had proved her point.

Shade came back out to introduce the next person. He introduced three more people before someone came up that he knew. He smiled to himself.

"Alright everyone. Everyone here has made an excellent performance so far. Looks like they are having some fun. You know what. Send me a mic. It's my turn now. It has been planned for me to sing multiple times, but I will explain why before the songs.

 **(Cue Fighter by Christina Aguilera)***

Shade spoke the first few lines. 

**After all you put me through,  
You think I'd despise you,  
But in the end I wanna thank you,  
'Cause you've made me that much stronger**

 **Well I, I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true  
Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff time is up  
'Cause I've had enough  
You were there by my side, always down for the ride  
But your joy ride just came down in flames 'cause your greed sold me out in shame**

 **After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that I hold resentment for you  
But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong  
'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know  
Just how capable I am to pull through  
So I wanna say thank you  
'Cause it**

 **** _ **[Chorus:]**_ **  
Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
It makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter  
Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter**

 **Never saw it coming, all of your backstabbing  
Just so you could cash in on a good thing before I'd realize your game  
I heard you're going round playing the victim now  
But don't even begin feeling I'm the one to blame  
'Cause you dug your own grave  
After all of the fights and the lies 'cause you're wanting to haunt me  
But that won't work anymore, no more,  
It's over  
'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture  
I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down  
So I wanna say thank you  
'Cause it**

Shade was rocking the song and everyone in the crowd was going ballistic. ****

 _ **[Chorus]**_ ****

 **How could this man I thought I knew  
Turn out to be unjust so cruel  
Could only see the good in you  
Pretended not to see the truth  
You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself  
Through living in denial  
But in the end you'll see  
YOU-WON'T-STOP-ME**

 **I am a fighter and I  
I ain't gonna stop  
There is no turning back  
I've had enough**

 _ **[Chorus]**_ ****

 **You thought I would forget  
But I remembered  
'Cause I remembered  
I remembered  
You thought I would forget  
I remembered  
'Cause I remembered  
I remembered**

 _ **[Chorus]**_

When Shade finished the crowd was cheering so hard he feared they might blow the roof off the place.

"Well that was fun! But let's go back to some other performances." Shade said as he introduced the next five competitors.

Next, someone Shade knew was coming up. He smiled at the name again,

"Alright. Up next we have someone that not many people know due to how new he is here, but he is a good friend of mine. Meet, Mercury Black!" yelled Shade as Mercury came up onto the stage.

"This is a song dedicated to a girl out there that has become very special to me in my time here." Said Mercury. This caused all the girls to wonder who it was. Nora then nudged Yang, who was sitting next to her saying that it was for her.

 **(Cue Man I Think I love Her by Stereo Skyline)**

 **My chick she's a little bit punk rock,  
Can't stand when I'm listening to hip-hop,  
She prefers White Snake over Drake  
(Whatever!)  
But I make her listen to it anyway**

 **She gets mad 'cause I'm always on my iPhone,  
Her Blackberry can't barely get a signal,  
She's so on-time when I'm always running late,  
(Hurry up!)  
I guess she's gonna have to wait**

 **Thinking I'm in way over my head, yeah!**

 _ **[Chorus:]**_ **  
She say's left and I say right,  
Yeah she says yes and I just might,  
'Cause I go up and she goes down,  
Yeah I say something and she freaks out,  
I swear she's out to get me,  
She's horror-movie crazy,  
And I'm telling you she hates me  
She's unlike any other,  
Man, I think I love her,**

 **Wooooo,  
Man, I think I love her,  
Wooooo,  
Man, I think I love her,**

 **My chick she's a little bit psycho,  
She drew blood on American Idol,  
(Hey!)  
She's always hiding the remote from me,  
Sucks for her that it's my TV  
She's in my face whenever I'm driving,  
(I know where I'm going! I know you're lying! Whatever!)  
My girlfriend talks too much,  
(BLAH BLAH BLAH!)  
Man, she never shuts up**

 **Thinking I'm in way over my head,  
** _ **[Chorus:]**_ **  
She says left and I say right,  
Yeah she says yes and I just might,  
'Cause I go up and she goes down,  
Yeah I say something and she freaks out,  
I swear she's out to get me,  
She's horror-movie crazy,  
And I'm telling you she hates me  
She's unlike any other,  
Man, I think I love her**

 _ **[Chorus:]**_ **  
She says left and I say right,  
Yeah she says yes and I just might,  
'Cause I go up and she goes down,  
Yeah I say something and she freaks out,  
I swear she's out to get me,  
She's horror-movie crazy,  
And she definitely hates me  
She's unlike any other,  
Man, I think I love her**

 **Wooooo,  
Man, I think I love her,  
Wooooo,  
Man, I think I love her,**

 **My chick's always listening to Green Day,  
She kinda hates it when I try to be like Kanye,**

 **Man this chick goes on and on and on and on,  
(Anything but Brittany!)**

 _ **[Chorus:]**_ **  
She says left and I say right,  
Yeah she says yes and I just might,  
'Cause I go up and she goes down,  
Yeah I say something and she freaks out,  
(Whatever!)  
I swear she's out to get me,  
She's horror-movie crazy,  
And I'm telling you she hates me,  
She's unlike any other,  
Man, I think I love her**

 _ **[Chorus:]**_ **  
She says left and I say right,  
Yeah she says yes and I just might,  
'Cause I go up and she goes down,  
Yeah I say something and she freaks out,  
I swear she's out to get me,  
She's horror-movie crazy,  
And she definitely she hates me  
She's unlike any other,  
Man, I think I love her**

 **(So I know this chick, right?)  
Wooooo,  
Man, I think I love her,  
(Man, I take this girl out to dinner and she's so polite.)  
Wooooo,  
Man, I think I love her,**

 **Man, I think I love her**

Mercury ended this song and it caused the whole crowd to erupt in cheers. When Mercury saw Yang, she looked happier than she ever has been before because she loved Mercury too. She simply smiled at Mercury and nodded happily.

"Alright. Way to go Mercury. That girl is one lucky lady." Said Shade when he got back up to his stand. "Now, let's get the pace picked back up. I got another song for all of you." The whole crowd was happy.

"Now this song is a song from one of my friends to a girl he likes. Originally I wasn't going to say either of their names, but I changed my mind. This song is from Lie Ren who says he can't sing, hence why I'm doing this song for him, to Nora Valkyrie. Hit it!" yelled Shade. Ren looked at him with a look of anger, while Nora looked at Ren with a look of happiness.

 **(Cue Friendzone by Your Favourite Martian.)**

 **I like this girl so much  
She's always on my mind  
We have an awesome time  
We never crossed the line  
She don't wanna mess-up the friendship  
"Friendsies"  
I'm in a frenzy, 'cause my bedroom's empty  
And I'm gently attempting to win her over  
By being as good as friend as I can be  
She's tempting but riddled with doubt  
Friend Zone is like the mafia  
You'll never get out!**

 **Ya  
She doesn't know the half  
In my wallet I keep her photograph  
I've made my decision  
For you, Baby girl, I'd change religions  
'Cause in your eyes I see heaven  
Girl, I think about you 24/7  
Before this story ends  
I wanna know can we be more than friends?  
**  
Shade did everything that the song was saying as it was said as if he was singing the song for a girl himself.

 **I put my hands up in the air  
Try to act like I don't care  
But tonight I'm all alone  
Because now I'm in the Friend Zone**

 **I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
Now, I'm in The Friend Zone  
Now, I'm in The Friend Zone  
Now, I'm in The Friend Zone, Oh Ya**

 **I go the blues 'cause we're not knockin' the boots  
We're talkin' gossip news and shoppin' for shoes  
I hate when you make me watch Sex and The City until the day ends  
I'm not your gay friend!  
But I'll do it, just to get next to you.  
Just to prove I can best the rest the dudes  
I'm obsessed with you. I pester you.  
'Cause when we ain't together, I'm probably texting you**

 **Ohh!  
You make me the maddest  
I just want to change my Facebook status  
To "in a relationship"  
But "it's complicated"  
Well you're makin' it hard for me  
'Cause I just can't walk away  
I just can't walk away  
I just can't walk away**

 **I put my hands up in the air  
Try to act like I don't care  
But tonight I'm all alone  
Because now I'm in the Friend Zone**

 **I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
Now, I'm in The Friend Zone**

 **I know you don't notice, but there's no excuse  
To date that other dude, he's a total douche  
He's got a few broken screws, I'm so confused  
That Imma have to show the dude  
That you deserve better, and you know you do  
Always feel free to cry on my shoulder. Boo  
'Cause if I ever go with you, I'm sure I'll stay  
I wanna leave now, but I just can't walk away**

With this line, Nora knew he was talking about Cardin, and she agreed with the song. She was starting to fall for Ren. She looked over to him and he was smiling nervously at her. She simply smiled back and nodded telling Ren that she liked him back.

 **I just can't walk away  
I just can't walk away  
(I just can't walk away)  
I just can't walk away  
(I just can't walk away)  
I just can't walk away  
(I just can't walk away)  
I just can't walk away  
(I just can't walk away)  
I just can't walk away  
(I just can't walk away)  
I just can't walk away  
I just can't walk away**

 **I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
Now, I'm in The Friend Zone**

 **I put my hands up in the air  
Try to act like I don't care  
But tonight I'm all alone  
Because now I'm in the Friend Zone  
**

 **I put my hands up in the air  
Try to act like I don't care  
But tonight I'm all alone  
Because now I'm in the Friend Zone**

 **I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
I'm in The Friend Zone  
Now, I'm in The Friend Zone **

With this line, Shade ended the song. The crowd cheered just as loud as they did for Shade's first song, which was still the loudest. Shade called out the last few until Velvet's turn came up. When he announced her name she walked out. The music started and Velvet started to sing.

 **(Cue Monster by Dev)***

 _ **[Chorus]**_ **  
Call the doctor, call the doctor  
Must be something wrong with me (oh-h)  
He's a monster, why do I want ya  
Please tell me, please tell me  
He's a monster (aye)  
He's a monster (oh)  
That boy, he's a motherfucking monster  
But I love him, yeah I love him  
Ooh ah, ooh ah ah **

After the first chorus, Weiss knew that it was meant for Shade, meaning that Velvet liked him too. 'So much competition' she thought. Blake took notice of this, as did Shade. Blake's thoughts were 'How many girls are in love with my Boyfriend?' while Shade's was 'What? She loves me? Oh god, the lady killer has returned hasn't he?' ****

**He's right, don't start (no no)  
'Til you're his own, form of art and (oh oh)  
He's doing his part  
Cause he's winning my heart (my heart)**

 **There were no sparks (no no)  
Just a gasoline fire burning through the dark and (oh oh)  
He's doing his part  
Cause he's winning my heart (my heart)**

 **Is he human, does it matter  
I know he's what I'm after  
I can reel him, from disaster  
I know (I know)**

 _ **[Chorus]**_ **  
Call the doctor, call the doctor  
Must be something wrong with me (oh-h)  
He's a monster, why do I want ya  
Please tell me, please tell me  
He's a monster (aye)  
He's a monster (oh)  
That boy, he's a motherfucking monster  
But I love him, yeah I love him  
Ooh ah, ooh ah ah (ah)**

 **Most people are scared (are scared)  
When they look him in the eyes, all they see is fear (but)  
Let me make this clear (this clear)  
I want him near (him near)**

 **Most people can't sleep (can't sleep)  
Feeling he's out, on the streets (but)  
He is my creep (my creep)  
He is my creep (my creep)**

 **Is he human, does it matter (ohhh)  
I know he's what I'm after  
I can reel him, from disaster (ohhh)  
I know (I-I-I know)**

 _ **[Chorus]**_ **  
Call the doctor, call the doctor  
Must be something wrong with me (oh-h)  
He's a monster, why do I want ya  
Please tell me, please tell me  
He's a monster (aye)  
He's a monster (oh)  
That boy, he's a motherfucking monster  
But I love him, yeah I love him  
Ooh ah, ooh ah ah**

 _ **[Bridge]**_ **  
He's sick, he's fresh  
He doesn't really know how to dress (that's why I like him)  
He's a beast, he's weird  
He, he never looks in the mirror (and I like it)**

 _ **[Chorus x2]**_ **  
Call the doctor, call the doctor  
Must be something wrong with me (oh-h)  
He's a monster, why do I want ya  
Please tell me, please tell me  
He's a monster (aye)  
He's a monster (oh)  
That boy, he's a motherfucking monster  
But I love him, yeah I love him  
Ooh ah, ooh ah ah**

When Velvet finished everyone cheered extremely loudly. Weiss got to her before she got to Shade and pulled her to the side.

"You're in love with Shade? Just like Blake and I right?" asked Weiss, bluntly.

"Yeah…I'm planning on telling him today." Said Velvet.

"Alright. So am I. Come with me when I do. We need to tell him when Blake is around, just to be fair." Said Weiss.

"You got it." Replied Velvet.

"And no hard feelings over who he picks?" asked Weiss.

"Of course." Replied Velvet.

"Well done Velvet Scarlatina." Said Shade. "We have one more performance left.. A no holds barred rap battle. Between me and Cardin Winchester. SO come on out Cardin. And let's do this!" yelled Shade. Cardin came out and gave Shade a mic as a beat played in the background.

 **(An-This rap battle is on YouTube under the profile of boyinaband under the title of You look like a girl. This also has a lot of negative messages in it. It is solely for entertainment.)**

Cardin started.

 **Hey Faggot / Hey Freak / Hey you girly worthless gay  
Give me every minute back that I wasted looking at your face  
Your very presence irritates me / I can't listen to what you say because  
your lack of masculinity sickens me and I can't take it**

 **Ah! / You're a state, a disgrace man and I ought to mention  
that every hair on your head is a cry for attention  
If you insist on that image then you deserve to be emasculated  
so take a long hard look in the mirror and re-evaluate it**

Shade then started here.

 **Finished? You really think you're more masculine?  
Na man, you're insecure and full of it, take a laxative  
I'm so sure of myself I'm practically reaching nirvana  
you're that guy that says "no homo" after he eats a banana**

 **I got that confidence that only comes with competence  
but judging from your comments you've got some internal conflict  
Oh you gave your mate a hug? Yeah better tap his back  
'cause you're scared people think you want to tap his back**

 **I'm that guy that's calm and shows affection to friends  
You're that guy that guarded and keeps his feelings in his head  
I'm that guy that's strong enough to admit to his weakness  
You're that guy that feels the need to stuff it when he's on the beach**

 **You see me as a threat to gender identity  
Acting like a guy with my style is an enemy  
"You can't tell the girls from the boys, it's a travesty!"  
Oh no, now you might have to judge them on their personality**

 **something's wrong if some big long strands of hair can shake your worldview  
I rock this look and people like it, at least my type of girls do  
and I don't want to get a ripped body, I like mine  
if you call me stick thin / then that's a fine line**

Shade gave Cardin a chance to rap back at him, but nothing ever came, so Shade just continued. ****

 **You wanna play it by your gender archetypes?  
/ 'cause your logic is not entirely right  
you hypocrite, I tried to be nice, but you're so ostensibly sexist  
that I'm gonna have to prove on your terms who the best is**

 **think; who has the more masculine confidence?  
The man who anonymously calls a man that's androgynous  
a fag cause it bothers him or the man with the gall to share  
his character, thoughts and all his talent with all of us?**

 **by your standards it's obvious I am the embodiment here of  
masculine dominance, but those standards are abhorrent  
the fact is your cockiness here just masks your incompetence  
and you cannot acknowledge it so you attack me ad hominem**

 **/ your gender normative values are crumbling  
like a big-ass cake, mmm-mmm, my tummy's rumbling  
yum yum / tastes like bigoted humbling  
I'm almost as happy to tell you that you're morally wrong as Tumblr is**

 **So let me set this straight just like my sexual preference  
oh wait that simile just did it / what's next then?/ well I  
guess that the next step now is to address that your best efforts doubtless will  
never be as eloquent as anything I said and if you still don't get it lemme spell it out.**

 **No-one benefits from being negative  
about irrelevant things, that's the end of it.  
It's pointless; If I didn't like someone's look  
I'd accept it's their choice and just listen to what their message is**

When they finished, everyone chanted Shade's name, saying that he beat Cardin.

Shade walked back and addressed the crowd and told them to vote for a winner. The voting was finished very quickly.

Shade was handed the envelope that held the name of a winner. First he announced the runner-up. "The runner-up is…VELVET SCARLATINA!" Shade called out loudly. "The winner is…well this is a surprise…It's ME!" yelled Shade, shocked. The whole crowd cheered. After a little while, everyone started to ask for an encore. Shade instantly agreed to give the crowd the encore. "This song is for someone out there. They did something wrong a few days ago, and this song is to warn them about what could happen if they don't fix it soon." Said Shade, his eyes never leaving Yang's.

 **(Cue When She Cries by Britt Nicole)***

 **Little girl terrified  
She'd leave her room if only bruises would heal  
A home is no place to hide  
Her heart is breaking from the pain that she feels**

 **[Chorus]  
Every day's the same  
She fights to find her way  
She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray  
She wonders why, does anyone ever hear her when she cries**

 **Today she's turning sixteen  
Everyone singing, but she can't seem to smile  
They never get past arm's length  
How could they act like everything is alright?  
She's pulling down her long sleeves  
To cover all the memories that scars leave  
She says, "maybe making me bleed  
Will be the answer that could wash the slate clean"**

 **[Chorus]**

 **This is the dark before the dawn  
The storm before the peace  
Don't be afraid 'cause seasons change and  
God is watching over you  
He hears you**

 **Every day's the same  
She fights to find her way  
She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray  
She'll be just fine, cause now he hears her when she cries**

 **Every day's the same  
She fights to find her way  
She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray  
She'll be just fine, cause now I know he hears her when she cries  
She'll be just fine, cause now I know he hears her when she cries**

Yang now knows that this song is for her, and the thing that she needs to fix is letting Sun go out with Ruby, and if she doesn't, Ruby may start cutting herself or worse, commit suicide. After Shade finished the song, she took off to look for Sun and tell him she changed her mind about him dating Ruby.

"Alright there we go. That's the end of the singing contest. I hope you had a good time, because I did." Said Shade, walking backstage and getting into his band attire, which was regular black pants, but no shirt.

He quickly found Sun, Sarah and Mercury, all of them ready for their performance. The drums and guitars were set up and everyone was ready to start. Shade was tossed a mic.

Out on the stage. Ozpin stood up at the podium. "Now that was a good time. But, didn't Shade promise you all a surprise after the winner was announced. Well, you deserve it. So, introducing, for tonight's final performance, a band that has decided to come back together for one night only. Please welcome, THE FIGHTING FAUNUS!" yelled Ozpin.

With this, the crowd lost their minds. When the curtains opened and the whole school all saw the band standing there, they thought they might be going crazy. But when Shade turned around to look at the crowd and yell out "Hello Beacon!" they knew they weren't.

"Weren't expecting that were you? Well, we all decided that this would be a good way to end the contest. You all know what song we are playing, just hit it!" yelled Shade.

(Cue Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab)

 **(I'm an angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun,  
An angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun.)**

 **Get out your guns, battle's begun.  
Are you a saint or a sinner?  
If love's a fight then I shall die  
With my heart on a trigger.**

 **They say before you start a war,  
You better know what you're fighting for.  
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.  
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.**

The crowd was losing their mind. They couldn't stop screaming. Mercury was keeping up with the drums, proving to Shade he could. Sun and Sarah were still hitting every guitar note they needed to.

Shade was still rocking just as good as ever sending the crowd into a frenzy.

 **I'm an angel with a shotgun,  
Fighting 'til the war's won,  
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.  
I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.  
Don't you know you're everything I have?  
And I wanna live, not just survive tonight.**

 **Sometimes to win, you've got to sin.  
Don't mean I'm not a believer.  
And major Tom will sing along.  
Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer.**

 **They say before you start a war,  
You better know what you're fighting for.  
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.  
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.**

 **I'm an angel with a shotgun,  
Fighting 'til the war's won,  
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.  
I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.  
Don't you know you're everything I have?  
And I wanna live, not just survive tonight.**

 **Oh, oh whoa whoa oh whoa**

 **I'm an angel with a shotgun.  
Fighting 'til the war's won.  
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.**

 **I'm an angel with a shotgun,  
Fighting 'til the war's won,  
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.  
I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.  
Don't you know you're everything I have?  
(I'm an angel with a shotgun)  
And I want to live, not just survive  
(Live, not just survive)  
And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight.**

 **They say before you start a war,  
You better know what you're fighting for.  
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.  
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be. **

Here the song ended and the crowd was satisfied. Shade had a great time playing with the band again. When Shade got backstage, Velvet, Weiss and Blake came up to him. Blake said that the other two girls needed to tell him something and that Blake needed to be there for it as well. Shade agreed to go back to the team's dorm and listen to what they needed to say. He knew it was serious, so he refrained from making a joke.

"What's up guys?" asked Shade.

Blake already knew what Weiss was doing, but she didn't know what Velvet was doing.

"Are you sure you want to say that right now Weiss?" asked Blake, making sure.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Replied Weiss.

Shade was becoming concerned with what Weiss was saying.

"So what? Just say it on three at the same time?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah. One…two…three." Said Weiss

"WE LOVE YOU SHADE. WE HAVE SINCE THE DAY WE MET YOU!" yelled Weiss and Velvet at the same time.

 **CLIFFHANGER AGAIN! I'm sorry, but I can't write this chapter anymore. I hope you enjoyed the singing contest, I only put in the performances that actually mattered to the story. This is also why I added Mercury and Sun so early into the story. I needed them to be here. I'm also uploading this now because I got some time to write over Spring Break, so I managed to get some done earlier. I hope you liked this Chapter. Remember to leave a review about what you liked and what you didn't like (8,207 words btw). If you enjoyed it enough, please follow and favourite, and I will see you next time in RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everybody! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back again with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I am having so much fun writing this story and I hope you're having a good time reading it. I never expected that this story would have as many views as it has right now and I couldn't be happier about it so thank you very much. But as usual, I have some reviews to respond to.**

 **Guest: Thank you. It's good to know that you like this story.**

 **Warwolf82: Wow. I don't even know how I can respond to that. Thank you very much. That review just made my day, literally. I can't thank you enough. I really can't. Also, thank you for the fav. It means a lot.**

 **So now that that's out of the way, I don't own RWBY, and let's get on with the chapter already.**

Chapter 9: The Ultimate Dare

Shade just sat next to Blake with a look of pure shock on his face. He didn't know how to respond to that, nor did he think he could. He just sat there, staring past Velvet and Weiss at the wall behind them, not saying anything.

"Shade? Are you Ok?" asked Blake, concerned for Shade's well-being.

"Um…I'm not sure right now. I'll have to get back to you on that." Replied Shade, still in shock, trying to absorb what he had just heard. "I um…I just…why me, of all people?" asked Shade trying to get some clarification about what had just happened.

"Does it really matter Shade?" asked Velvet.

"Actually yes it does. Why me?" asked Shade again.

"I can't speak for Weiss, but for me, it started when you defended me at lunch from Cardin and his gang. There were plenty of other people who could've done that, but you were the only one who actually did." Replied Velvet.

"Ok. What about you Weiss? You are literally the last person I expected to fall in love with me." Asked Shade.

"See, that's it. I'm not even sure what it is that made me fall in love with you. All I know for a fact is that I do and I have known for sure since the time we went to café." Replied Weiss.

"OK. I imagine that these feelings are pretty new to both of you, right?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, they are. I've never felt anything like this before." Replied Weiss and Velvet.

"Ok then. Alright, I want to clear something up before I respond. You are both very beautiful and amazing girls, and any guy would be lucky to have you. However, I am already involved with Blake, so I am going to stay with her. Sorry girls." Replied Shade, sympathetically.

"Ok. That's pretty much what I was expecting anyways." Replied Weiss.

"RUBY?!" yelled Sun as he ran into the room.

"Sun? What's up?" asked Weiss.

"I'm looking for Ruby. Have any of you seen her?" asked Sun.

"No, I haven't. Do you need any help looking for her?" asked Shade.

"Yes please. I need to find her as soon as possible." Said Sun.

"So, I assume that my plan worked?" asked Shade, smiling.

"Oh yeah. It worked to perfection. So will you help me or not?" asked Sun.

"Yeah. Let's go find Ruby guys. Weiss, you stay here in case she shows up. Blake, you search the other dorm, Sun, Velvet, you two search the main school area. I'll look everywhere else. Send a message if you find her. Let's go." Said Shade as everyone went off to search for Ruby.

'What should I do to keep myself entertained until she is found?" asked Weiss, before Shade left.

"I don't know. You could think about me if you want." Replied Shade teasingly.

"Just go find Ruby Shade." Said Weiss, shaking her head.

"Alright. Have fun!" said Shade, running off to find Ruby.

'Oh I will.' Thought Weiss.

Once the door was closed, Weiss instantly began thinking of Shade. She knew she shouldn't be, but she just couldn't stop. She loved everything about him, and she couldn't understand how there were only three girls in the school who liked him. After trying for hours to force him out of her mind, she realized that it was only making her think of him more, so she just gave in.

 **Warning! Adult content here! 18+ only! Don't like? Don't read. Simple as that. (Just being safe here. I'll try to keep it somewhat tame but I'm not sure if it will stay that way. If you aren't comfortable with any of that, please skip it.)**

She looked around her dorm, as well as outside her dorm, making sure that no one was around to hear her. She saw no one around. She closed the door and locked it. 'Why am I doing this? This isn't like me. Weiss Schnee would never do this, would she?' Weiss was asking herself in the back of her mind, but her mind was set. 'It's not like anyone else will find out about this, right? No, no of course not. As long as you are careful, no one will ever know.' Weiss reasoned with herself. Weiss got into her bed, got under her covers, and started to pleasure herself. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was Shade doing this. As shade became more prevalent in her mind, she grew even more lustful. Picking up her pace she started to moan, but she stayed very quiet so no one would hear her. As she started to go faster, she imagined Shade starting to kiss her. As her pleasure increased, so did her imagination. As this went on longer, the Shade that she was imagining began to do more and more. Weiss almost screamed, but she was able to stifle it into a soft moan.

Weiss was going wild in her euphoric state. She had never felt like this before, and she couldn't stop. The more she did it, the more she wanted to continue. She knew deep down that she shouldn't be doing this, but she didn't care. This was keeping her entertained while the others were looking for Ruby. 'Wait, RUBY!' it suddenly clicked in her mind. Ruby had the ability to open the door. What if she walked in on her doing this?! She wouldn't stop with the questions until she had everything, and even then, Yang would find out somehow, and then she would tell Shade, then he would know, and he wouldn't want anything to do with her. With this in her mind, she stopped instantly.

 **Alright 18+ part over! Back to normal story.**

After stopping, she sat up on her bed making sure she looked normal, and when she decided that she did, she unlocked the door.

As soon as she did that, Ruby ran in the door, knocking Weiss down.

"Ahhh! What is it Ruby?!" yelled Weiss.

"I'm hiding from Sun." answered Ruby.

"What? Why?" asked Weiss.

"I want to find out how much he likes me. How long it will take for him to give up on searching for me." Replied Ruby.

"Ok, I guess, but you do know that the longer he searches, the more he will become annoyed with you right? He also got Shade, Blake and Velvet to help him. Even I'm helping him. I was supposed to stay here in case you showed up, and if you did, I was supposed to send a message to all of the others." asked Weiss.

"You can't! I need to know. He can't know where I am. Please don't tell them Weiss!" begged Ruby, putting on her puppy dog eyes.

"…fine Ruby…I won't tell them." Said Weiss, convinced.

"Thank you Weiss!" yelled Ruby.

With Shade.

He had Velvet, Sun, and Blake on the phone. "Ok, I've checked the rooftops, the training area, and the whole dorm building, and still no sign of her." He got the same answer from all the others, who had finished their searches. Shade began to think about what she could be doing, and where she could be. Shade realized something. Ruby never showed to the singing contest. She didn't know that Shade had won, got an encore, and knocked some sense into Yang. "She wouldn't, right?" Shade asked himself. "But, what if she did?" he also asked himself. He immediately ran to the front of the dorm rooms. He was relieved when he saw that no one was there. He decided to go up to the dorm to see if Weiss had any luck, seeing as she wasn't answering her scroll. He went up the stairs, and when he got to the floor his dorm was on, he looked to his dorm room, and saw Ruby entering. He immediately messaged Sun, Velvet and Blake that Ruby was back at the room. They all showed up in a matter of minutes.

"So, what now?" asked Sun.

"Now, we walk in to tell Weiss that we didn't find Ruby, who just happens to be there, and pretend that it was all just a coincidence." Replied Shade.

They all left for the dorm room and followed the plan. When they arrived, Sun asked Ruby out the second he saw her. Ruby was shocked that Sun was still risking beat down from Yang just to be with her. Shade explained that he had won and that he sang some sense into Yang, and that she changed her mind and was Ok with Sun dating her now. Ruby immediately said yes, and they went over to team JNPR's room for the truth or dare.

"Alright, now before we go over there, were there any other questions that you guys wanted to ask me?" asked Shade.

"I have one. Just for my own peace of mind, if you weren't with Blake, which one of us would you pick?" asked Weiss. Velvet also looked at Shade wanting to find out.

"Well, if I had to pick right now, which, by the way I find really sudden, I would have to say" Shade wasn't able to finish before Yang ran in to the dorm and practically screamed "HEY! GET INTO TEAM JNPR'S DORM NOW! WE ARE ALL WAITING FOR YOU SO WE CAN PLAY TRUTH OR DARE, SO HURRY UP!"

"Alright Yang. Sheesh, let's go guys." Said Shade walking out the door with Blake, not answering the question.

"He didn't answer us." Said Velvet.

"To be fair, he did get interrupted. He probably forgot. Either that, or he didn't really want to answer so he didn't hurt your feelings." Replied Blake.

"What? Hurt MY feelings?" Asked Velvet.

Blake had unknowingly implied that she knew who Shade would pick, but she didn't. "When I said 'your', I meant either of your feelings, because whoever he didn't pick would be upset right?" asked Blake.

"Well yeah, I guess." Said Weiss.

"Yeah. But we really should get over there. Don't want to keep them waiting any longer do we?" asked Blake.

"Yeah, let's go." Said Velvet.

Weiss was a little upset that she wouldn't find out who he would pick right now, but she would eventually.

When everyone arrived in the room, they decided to make a bet on the game. If you refused to tell a truth or preform a dare, you were eliminated. At the end, when there was only one person left, everyone else who had been eliminated got to dare the last person standing one last time. If the dare was preformed, the winner would get 10 lien from the everyone else in the group, but if they declined, the winner would have to give 10 lien to everyone else. Everyone agreed to the bet.

"Alright then let's start! Shade, Truth or dare?" asked Nora.

"Shade, don't pick dare! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T! PICK! DARE!" yelled Jaune.

"Shut up Jaune. I wasn't going to. Truth." Said Shade.

"Alright then. What is one secret that only your teammates know?" Asked Nora.

"I don't really have an-"He was cut off as he remembered one.

"He's got one! What is it? TELL US!" yelled Nora.

"Fine. Before I moved to Mistral I was a high ranking member of The White Fang. I was their best assassin." Explained Shade. To his surprise, no one reacted badly. He just dismissed this. "Ok, Jaune, truth or dare?" asked Shade.

"Um, Dare!" said Jaune, and instantly regretted it when he saw the devious look on Shade's face.

"Alright. I dare you to-"He was cut off by Velvet whispering something in his ear.

"Well that's better than my idea. Thanks Velvet." Said Shade, as his smirk grew.

"Oh god. What do I have to do?" asked Jaune, really scared to hear the answer.

"All you have to do is bring back something specific from Team CFVY's dorm." Shade said.

"What?" asked Jaune.

"A pair of Coco's panties." Laughed Shade.

"You are evil, you know that right?" asked Jaune., getting up and going to the dorm room after getting Velvet's scroll so he could get in.

Jaune was in and out in matter of 30 seconds. He was back to the dorm in a minute flat. He had a pair of her panties.

"Holy crap. I did not expect him to actually pull it off. Well done." Said Shade.

"Alright, Blake, truth or dare?" asked Jaune.

"Dare." Said Blake.

"Alright. I dare you to flash everyone here." Said Jaune, sure that this was going to get her out.

Blake immediately lifted up her shirt and bra and flashed everyone in the room.

Jaune was in shock. He didn't expect her to actually do it. He looked at Shade who was clearly angry at him. Jaune knew that it was because he was still staring at Blake's chest. He immediately looked away, causing Shade's anger to fade.

"Thank you Jaune. Now, Ruby, Truth or dare?" asked Blake.

"Um Truth." Said Ruby.

"Alright. Is there anyone in this room that you don't like?" asked Blake.

"Other than Sun, no." said Ruby. Everyone except Shade and Sun looked shocked. Shade knew what this was going to be, and Sun was almost in tears.

"Why don't you like Sun?" everyone asked.

"I can answer that. She doesn't like him because she loves him. Right Ruby?" asked Shade. When Ruby didn't answer him, he knew he was right.

"There we go. Now stop crying Sun." said Yang. Sun stopped crying and the group started to play again. After 30 minutes, it was just Yang, Blake, Shade and Nora left.

Blake, Truth or Dare?" asked Shade.

"Dare me." Said Blake.

"Ok. Yang, point this at the wall. Blake your dare is to stay still for a full 15 seconds after looking at the wall." Said Shade handing a laser pointer to Yang. Yang shone the laser on the wall. Blake looked over and saw it. It only took 5 seconds for her feline instincts to take over. She ran at the wall, running face first into it. She knew that she had lost. She left and sat with the others. But not before turning to Shade and saying. "You better win and don't even think about backing out on the dare at the end. Just know that no matter what it is, you do it. I don't care."

"You got it." Said Shade.

"Ok, Nora, truth or dare?" asked Yang.

"Dare." Replied Nora.

"OK. I dare you to play the rest of the game naked." Said Yang.

All the boys blushed when Nora didn't hesitate on any way whatsoever and took off all her clothes. Shade got over it quickly, but no one else did.

"OK, Shade, Truth or Dare?" asked Nora.

"Dare. You won't break me, give me your worst." Said Shade.

"I dare you to take some cookies from Ruby's private stash." Said Nora.

"Alright. Where is it?" asked Shade.

"It's under her pillow. You have to bring it here and eat it in front of Ruby." said Nora.

Shade wasted no time. He went straight into Team RWBY's room, got one of Ruby's cookies brought it back and ate it. Nora was in shock that Shade actually did it. Ruby jumped at Shade after he finished the cookie and tried to hit him in the face. Shade simply dodged her attack. This went on for about 10 minutes before Ruby gave up, realizing her cookie was gone.

"Alright Yang, Truth or Dare?" asked Shade

"Dare." Said Yang.

"I dare you to kick Mercury in the balls." Said Shade.

"What?" asked Yang.

"WHAT?!" yelled Mercury.

"You could take the loss." Said Shade.

Yang hesitated, and realized she couldn't do it. "…fine. You beat me Shade." Yang said as she left the game.

"Alright last two. Shade, Truth or Dare?" asked Nora.

The final two went on daring each other for another 30 minutes.

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST GIVE UP?!" asked Nora.

" I REFUSE TO GIVE UP! YOU WON'T BREAK ME!" Shade yelled back. "Now Nora, truth or dare."

"Dare." Said Nora.

"Just a second." Said Shade as he typed out a message to send to Cardin.

"What are you doing?" asked Nora.

"Here's your dare. Here is my scroll. That message is telling Cardin to come over to this room. Your dare is to send it to him. Keep in mind that if you do, he will see you naked. If you don't, you lose. The choice is yours." Said Shade.

Nora looked at the text, looked at herself, looked at everyone in the room and gave the scroll back to Shade. "I can't do it. You win Shade…" Nora conceded.

Shade had won, but now everyone else went into another room to think of a dare for him to do. Nora first had to get dressed. When they all got there Nora said "Do you guys want to become 10 lien richer?" asked Nora. Everyone said yes. "The let ME pick the dare. I got one he won't do." Said Nora. Everyone agreed. "Ok. Before I even suggest this dare, I need to know. Blake are you sure you are ok with Shade doing ANYTHING?" asked Nora.

"Yes. I am." Said Blake.

"Alright. Weiss come here." Said Nora.

Weiss went over to where Nora was. Nora whispered the dare in her ear. Weiss' face immediately turned a bright red. "If you are ok with it, that will be the dare. Are you ok with that?" asked Nora. "Umm…I guess so. But Blake, are you ABSOLUTLEY SURE that you don't care what he does?" asked Weiss.

"Of course." Said Blake.

"Then it's settled." Said Nora. "SHADE!" Nora called Shade into the room.

"Alright what's my dare?" asked Shade looking around the room. He saw Weiss blushing and Nora with a devious smile.

"Just so you know, Blake said that she doesn't care what you do. That includes this. Right Blake?" asked Nora.

"Of course." Said Blake.

"Alright just give me my dare already." Said Shade.

"Alright, Ok. Your final dare is to kiss Weiss on the lips." Said Nora.

"That's it? I would've expected more from you Nora." Said Shade, leaning towards Weiss, until Nora stopped him.

"Not the one on her face Shade." said Nora, grinning evilly.

This sent Shade into full-on panic mode. How could Blake be Ok with this? He looked to her and remembered that he promised her that he would win the game and do the final dare. She simply nodded.

"Alright." Shade said.

"I KNEW YOUWOULDN'T" Nora then realized what he said.

Weiss was sent into shock, along with everyone else in the room that Shade had agreed to the dare. On the inside Weiss was absolutely ecstatic. It wasn't much, but it was still Shade. That was enough for her.

"Alright. He agreed to it." Said Nora. "Weiss, you're up."

"Actually I think Shade is the one that's up right now." Said Yang, making an inappropriate joke.

Everyone just ignored the joke. Weiss pulled her pants and panties down just enough for Shade complete the dare. Shade got on his knees and planted a kiss on Weiss' lower lips. After standing back up, he looked back at Nora. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that to beat me Nora." Said Shade. Everyone gave Shade the money that he won. After this everyone went back to their respective dorms, and just before Ruby went to bed, everyone shouted something.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUBY!" yelled the rest of the team.

"Thank you! I actually forgot about my birthday. Man I'm dumb!" said Ruby.

Everyone got out their gifts. First up was Weiss. She got some types of dust for Ruby to try with Crescent Rose. Yang got her a necklace with a ruby set in it in the shape of a rose.

'God, even her gifts are bad puns.' Thought Shade.

Blake got her a pair of earrings that matched her necklace. Ruby thanked everyone for the gifts and was about to go to bed when Shade said that she was forgetting his gift. Ruby was confused by this. "My gift from you was you singing in the contest, remember?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah, but I also got you something else." Said Shade. Giving her a small box. After Ruby opened it up, she saw Shade's credit card in it. She was confused. "See, I didn't know what to get you, so tomorrow, we are gonna go into town, and you are going to get whatever you want. My treat." Said Shade.

"Really? Thank you Shade! You are the best!" said Ruby, jumping into a hug with Shade. After she let go of Shade they all went to bed. Shade, Blake, Yang and Ruby instantly fell asleep. Weiss, however, wasn't able to fall asleep.

'Oh god. Now I can't even sleep?!' thought Weiss. Her feelings for Shade were now affecting her life in an even worse way. She couldn't get over him. She needed professional help. She decided to talk to everyone she could to get some help tomorrow, but for now, she needed to try to get to sleep. 'I knew this would be a long semester' thought Weiss.

 **There you have it! Chapter 9 of RWBY: A Demon's Life. This story is a lot of fun and I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always remember to Review with what you liked, what you didn't like, as well as any ideas you may have. But for now, I will see you all in the next Chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everybody! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I can't stop writing this story! This story is really giving something to do in my spare time, and even though I'm in college, I actually have quite a bit of spare time. I also realized something. With the way my story has been written so far, it isn't very aligned with the summary. Just know that, I intended for the story to match the summary sooner when I had started the story, but I haven't had a good enough opportunity to add it in yet. Finally, I have created a Straw Poll. The site is on my profile, so go and cast a vote for it please. But enough rambling, I have some reviews to respond to.**

 **Tyson113: Thanks. It's good to know that I was able to make you laugh. That's what I was hoping for.**

 **Alright now that that's over with, I don't own RWBY, and let's get on with it already.**

Chapter 10: I need help

Shade and Ruby woke up earlier than anyone else. Ruby because she couldn't wait to go get more gifts, and Shade because Ruby jumped on him the second she woke up. Ruby went into the shower, followed by Shade. When Shade came out of the shower, he noticed that everyone else was still asleep. He wrote a note to the team saying that he and Ruby woke up early and decided to go into town. 10 minutes after they left, Weiss woke up. She saw the note and read it. She saw this as a good opportunity to get some help about Shade. First she decided that she needed a shower. Her hair was messed up, mostly because she had a long night after a particularly vulgar dream about her and Shade.

"Oh god." I need to get some help. Either that or I need to get some Shade." said Weiss after she got in the shower.

After Weiss finished her shower she got dressed in casual clothes. When she walked out, Yang ran into the shower, and Weiss sat down on her bed, thinking about who could help her. Blake? No, she already knows. Nora? No, she isn't much help with relationships. Ruby and Shade are in town, so their out of the question. Pyrrha? Maybe, but I should get some information before I talk to her. Yang? She is good at relationships, she knows about guys, and she is somewhat like Shade, now that I'm thinking about it. I guess I'm talking to Yang first then. Yang then walked out of the shower, just as Blake woke up and went into the shower.

"Hey Yang?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah Weiss? What's up?" asked Yang.

"I need your help with something. It has to be kept a secret though. Can I trust you?" asked Weiss, serious and looking a bit sad too.

"Of course Weiss. What's wrong?" asked Yang, concerned for her partner.

"I need your advice about guys. I'm having a serious problem and its beginning to affect me in worse and worse ways. But we need to talk in private. Follow me to the roof. We'll talk there." Said Weiss leaving. Just then Blake walked out of the shower and saw Weiss leave.

"What's up with Weiss, Yang?" asked Blake.

"I don't know, but she said that she needed to talk to me about something in private, and that it was causing her big time problems." Said Yang, leaving the room.

Yang arrived at the roof and saw Weiss sitting against the wall. She sat down next to her.

"OK Yang. This is what's wrong. I'm kind of in love with someone who already has a girlfriend. He already knows, but he says that he wants to stay with her. I know that what I'm thinking is wrong, but I really love him. I would gladly give up anything just to be with him. He asked me why I loved him and back then I didn't know. But now I do. I love him because he is strong. I love him because he is sweet. I love him because he is intelligent. I love him because he is the nicest, coolest, and overall best guy I have ever met in my life. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love him because he is him. That is the only way I can describe my feelings." Explained Weiss.

"Wow. You've fallen for him hard haven't you? So, who is the lucky guy?" asked Yang.

"You are pretty much the last person I want to tell, Yang." Said Weiss.

Yang began to wonder why. She could only come up with one answer, and it wasn't something that she wanted to think. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT IT'S MERCURY?!" Yelled Yang, her eyes starting to turn red.

Weiss looked at Yang and saw that she was getting angry. "NO, NO! It's not Mercury!" replied Weiss.

"Then why don't you want to tell me who it is?" asked Yang, calming down.

"I don't want to tell you because I am worried that you will tell him." Said Weiss.

Yang looked at her like she was crazy. "I may not keep seem like someone you can trust with the identity of who you like, but I am. I have been keeping a secret like that for a while now." Said Yang, proud of herself.

"Really? Who likes who?" asked Weiss.

"Velvet actually has a crush on Shade, but you can't tell anyone. She told me at the café a while ago." Said Yang.

"I knew that already. She told Blake and Shade her feelings at the same time I told Shade mine." Said Weiss before realizing her mistake. "Shit…" whispered Weiss.

"Oh…So you love Shade huh? Blake also knows, and you want to know how you can break them up so YOU can date Shade, right?" asked Yang. Weiss was amazed that Yang was able to figure out all that so fast.

"Yeah. I know that it's horrible to be asking someone for an idea on how to break two people up so I can go out with one of them, but I am actually going insane without knowing if Shade and I can ever be together. I might be Ok if you hadn't interrupted his answer to my question last night, but before he answered, you came in." said Weiss.

"What did you ask him?" asked Yang.

"I asked if he wasn't with Blake, which one of us would he be with, me or Velvet." Said Weiss.

As Weiss was telling Yang this, Blake was eavesdropping on their conversation. She had no idea that this was affecting Weiss on such a huge level. She was also recording this, at first so that she could listen to it again so she could think of a way to help her out, but now she thinks that maybe she should send it to Shade, so he can sort out his feelings for her, and see if he like Weiss as well as a who he likes more, between her and Blake. Blake loved Shade, but if Weiss loved him this much, it would probably be better to let Weiss have him if he had feelings for her as well. She continued to record the conversation.

"I honestly don't know what to do. If I knew how he felt about me it would make this so much easier, but I don't. Please, help me Yang. I need help." Said Weiss.

Blake stopped recording here and ran back to the room to prepare a message to send to Shade.

"I'm not sure how much this will help, but Ren told me that he was talking with Shade about what he looked for in a girlfriend a couple days ago and he is on a team with Pyrrha, who used to go out with Shade. They are both in their room now, so you could ask them for some help. Hell, maybe they can help you figure out Shade's feelings towards you." Said Yang.

"Thank you Yang. If you ever need my help with anything, don't hesitate to ask me." Said Weiss.

"I won't." said Weiss. "Thank you so much Yang!" said Weiss, hugging Yang.

"No problem, but there's no time to waste! GO! NOW!" yelled Yang, sending Weiss off.

After Weiss ran off, Yang got a call from Blake telling her to come to the room quick.

Weiss showed up at Team JNPR's dorm soon. She knocked and when Pyrrha came to the door, she already knew what it was about. Ren was still in the room, but Jaune and Nora were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Jaune and Nora?" asked Weiss.

"I told Jaune to take Nora into town to get some pancakes and when I asked Nora heard me, and dragged him out of the room. We heard that you were looking for a way to break up Blake and Shade right?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah…I know it a horrible thing, but I am actually starting to lose my mind over this whole thing." Said Pyrrha.

"So we heard. Now, while we won't be much help in that particular department, we can help you figure out Shade's feelings for you, or at the very least give you an idea of how he feels about you. We will need to ask you a number of questions, but at the end we should have a pretty good idea about his feelings towards you. Are you ready to start?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yes. We might as well get this over with as quickly as possible." Said Weiss.

"Alright then let's start. First, which of these is the most important to you? Family, Friends, Significant Others, Yourself, or all of the above?" asked Pyrrha.

"Um…probably…Family." Said Weiss. Ren then typed something out on his scroll.

"Ok. Second, if you were interested with someone other than the person you were involved with, what would you do? Be blunt and break up with him, Be subtle and get him to break up with you, Cheat on him, Tell him then break up with him, or nothing?" asked Pyrrha.

"I would probably, tell him then break up with him. I don't want him to wonder why I broke up with him. I want him to know that it wasn't his fault, it was my own problem." Answered Weiss. Ren the typed something on his scroll again.

"Next question. You are given control over someone's relationship, and you have a crush on someone in the relationship, what do you do? Drive the relationship into the ground and ask out your crush, keep the relationship flawless, let the relationship play out how it would normally, tell the one you liked your feelings, or other?" asked Pyrrha.

"I would definitely tell the one I liked my feelings. He deserves to know." Said Weiss. Ren continued typing out on his scroll.

"I see. Ok. A guy you like is in a relationship. He hasn't broken up with his girlfriend, but he wants to hook up with you, while still in a relationship with his girlfriend. What do you do? Tell his girlfriend, Hook up with him, Tell him to leave you alone until he is single, Refuse to even give him a chance, or break up with his girlfriend in his place." Asked Pyrrha.

"Refuse to even give him a chance. I don't want to be with a guy that is willing to cheat on his girlfriend, even if I do like him." Said Weiss. Ren once again typed on his scroll.

"Alright. Next question. On a scale of 1-5, how important is loyalty in a relationship to you?" asked Pyrrha.

"5, no question. If a guy isn't loyal 100% of the time, I don't want to be with him anymore." Said Weiss.

"Last question. Have you been completely truthful during this quiz?" asked Pyrrha.

"Of course I have been. I needed to be truthful to get an accurate result right?" asked Weiss.

"Yes of course. That wasn't a part of the quiz. That was for us. If you weren't truthful, we instantly would say you had no chance with him because we want him to be with someone who would actually have a chance with him just being themselves, not who he would want them to be." Explained Pyrrha.

"Smart move guys." Said Weiss. "So? How'd I do?"

"Ren?" asked Pyrrha. Weiss looked towards Ren.

"We had a rating system based on your answers. If you gave the most favourable answer, you got 4 points, second most favourable was 3, lower and lower until the least favourable answer being worth 0 points. You were scored between 0 and 20. 0 being no chance in hell, 20 being practically perfect for him." Explained Ren.

"Ok then. What was my score?" asked Weiss, hoping for a high one.

"You're score was…" Ren paused for dramatic effect, "20! You answered every question the exact way that Shade would have wanted you to! I would say that there is at least a 99% chance that he likes you back, and that is just being cautious. It's probably guaranteed that he likes you back, but there is always a chance that he doesn't." said Ren.

"REALLY?!" asked Weiss almost exploding from happiness.

"Yeah. Based off your answers, it is very likely that he likes you back. Not as a friend either. How much, I can't say, but there seems to be feelings there." Said Ren.

Weiss was happy. She was beyond happy. She had no words that could describe the amount of happiness that she felt. She just sat there smiling widely. Ren and Pyrrha were worried that they had broken Weiss. But luckily they knew how to fix her.

Pyrrha looked towards the door and said "Oh hello Shade."

This cause Weiss to jump up and turn to the door. Shade wasn't there. No one was. She tuned back to Pyrrha and Ren who told her that she spaced out and they did that to snap her out of it. She wasn't happy with them, but she understood why they did it. She had realized that the sun was starting to set. She didn't know why, but then she realized that she woke up at about noon, and she had been up for about 5 hours. That made it 5 in the afternoon. She realized that Shade might be close to getting back and she wanted to be there when he did. She thanked Pyrrha and Ren for their help and went back to her room. As she walked into the room, Blake looked like she was about to send someone a message on her scroll and Yang was up on her bunk listening to music. After a few minutes of waiting, Ruby burst in the door and shouted something about criminal, Shade, and follow. This was enough for everyone to know that Shade was off chasing a criminal and that she needed them to follow her. They all got into their combat gear, grabbed their weapons and followed Ruby. They all then went to get team JNPR, Sun and Mercury as well as team CFVY. They all then left towards the docks where Shade said he was.

 **(AN-I will now be cutting to the others back when they began what they were doing today)**

Shade and Ruby walked through the streets, or rather Ruby dragged Shade through the streets. She first brought him to a weapon shop. She got a weapon modification set, more ammo for Crescent Rose, and a blade sharpening set. Ruby then brought Shade to the bakery they went to a little while ago. She got a bunch of her favourite cookies as well as a few other assorted sweets. The way Ruby was acting reminded him a lot of his little sister. She even looked a little like her. Shade paid for everything, of course.

"Hey Ruby? Do you want to get some lunch?" asked Shade.

Shade got his response in the form of Ruby's stomach growling loudly.

"Alright then. Let's go. Lead the way Ruby." Said Shade, smiling.

She then was bringing him to a restaurant because he offered to buy them both lunch.

"Thank you for taking me out today Shade. Also for all the gifts." Said Ruby.

"No problem. Happy to." Said Shade.

A waiter came up to their table and took their orders. After ordering, Ruby looked at Shade like she wanted to ask him a question, but was too scared to.

"What's up Ruby? You look like you need to ask me something." Said Shade.

"No, I'm fine. Really!" said Ruby. However, Shade could easily tell she was lying.

"Come on Ruby. You can ask me anything. Maybe I can help you out." Said Shade, trying to coax an answer out of her.

"Alright then. I'll tell you. You see, Sun is my first boyfriend ever. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing. I really like him, but other than telling him that, I don't know how to let him know that I do." Explained Ruby.

"Well, you could kiss him." Suggested Shade.

"Ok. I guess I phrased that wrong. I know that I could kiss him, but I don't know how to kiss. I mean as a girlfriend. If it was as a friend, I could do it, but this is my first relationship. I've never had to do anything like this before and it's freaking me out. Can you help me?" asked Ruby.

"Well, if you have any ideas as to how I could help you, I'd be glad to, but I don't have any ideas as to how I could." Said Shade.

"Ok. If you think of any, let me know Ok?" asked Ruby.

"Of course Ruby." Said Shade.

The waiter then came back with their orders. They two friends ate together while making small talk. In a little over 30 minutes, they had finished. The waiter came back with a bill. Shade quickly paid the bill, and they left the restaurant. They started walking back towards the airships to go back to Beacon. Ruby looked over to Shade and randomly remembered Shade's fight with Cardin and how he beat him. She then also remembered that even though Shade had told them the name of his semblance, no one knew what it did. It was called Shade's Deception. But that was all anyone knew.

"Hey Shade? I just realized that I still don't know what your semblance does." Said Ruby.

"I'm actually surprised that no one had asked that before now." Said Shade.

"Yeah. What exactly does your semblance do?" asked Ruby.

"It's kind of hard to explain, but I'll try to. Basically if you look over here, you'll see my shadow right?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with it?" asked Ruby.

"Just wait." Said Shade as he exploded into black smoke. After the smoke cleared he was nowhere to be seen, but his shadow was still there. Then his shadow started to move around. Ruby just looked on in awe. After moving around for a while, Ruby saw Shade emerge from the ground where his Shadow was.

"Um…What just happened?" asked Ruby, clearly confused.

"I used my semblance. Shade's Deception lets me merge with my shadow for a little while. That's how I avoided Cardin's attacks. Before he hit me, I exploded into smoke right?" asked Shade.

Ruby thought back to the fight. "Yeah you did." Said Ruby.

"Well while that smoke was thick, I merged with my shadow, giving the illusion that I was invisible, when in reality, I was underneath Cardin's nose the whole time. I then emerged from my shadow behind him, hit him, and re-formed with my shadow. I kept doing that until I won. However, my semblance has one fatal flaw. If suffer a direct hit while using it, my aura takes a massive hit, even if it wasn't a hard hit." Explained Shade.

Ruby was shocked by his semblance. It sounded impossible to counter. She decided not to ask how to hit him while his semblance was active.

On their way back, they passed by a shop that had obviously been broken into and robbed. Shade looked over to the shop. The windows were smashed and the police were looking around for clues. He and Ruby notice the shop at the same time and decided to go over to it to see if they could find out anything about what had happened. From what they heard, a group of people came in earlier that same day and stole all the dust, but no money.

"Weird. They left all the money? None was taken at all?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. The register was left untouched." Replied one of the officers.

'Odd. Who would only steal the dust? Could it be the White Fang? No…no…they wouldn't risk a robbery in broad daylight, and they never have needed any dust before.' Thought Shade.

Shade then thought he heard something. He looked around and all but dismissed the noise as his imagination until he saw a man in a fedora and white coat holding a cane disappear on top of a building. He immediately that it was the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. He turned to Ruby.

"Ruby I need you to do something t for me Ok? I need you to do exactly what I say." Said Shade, seriously.

Ruby was confused by this sudden outburst, but agreed.

"I need you to go back to Beacon and tell Ozpin that I think I saw a crime lord by the name of Roman Torchwick. I am giving chase ok? After you tell him let me know with a message. I will then tell you where I am. After you get my message get Weiss, Blake, Yang and everyone else Ok? Bring them to where I tell you I am. Be as quick as you can Ok?" asked Shade.

"Got it. Go after him Shade. I'll get everyone." Said Ruby as she ran off towards the airships.

Shade then immediately took off after Roman. He jumped onto the roof and saw Roman jump off the other side. Shade followed him. He stayed close enough that he wouldn't lose him, but far enough away from him that he wouldn't be noticed. The chase lasted a long time. Eventually he ended up at the docks. He got the message from Ruby a while ago and told her he was at the docks. She said that she told Ozpin and that Glynda was there as well. Then she went and told everyone and that they were on their way there now. Shade decided that now was as good a time as any to reveal himself. He just needed to stall and give Ruby and everyone enough time to get there with some backup.

"Hey you!" yelled Shade getting Roman's attention.

"Who are you?" asked Roman.

"That's not important. What's important is who you are. You're Roman Torchwick aren't you?" asked Shade.

"Oh, so you are familiar with my work then?" asked Roman.

"Yeah. You were the one who robbed that dust shop in downtown Vale in broad daylight right?" asked Shade.

"Now why would you think that?" asked Roman.

"Let's see. You were the only one anywhere nearby during the robbery, you ran as soon as the police got there, you are a known criminal, and you are carrying a briefcase full of the dust that you stole, right?" asked Shade, knowing that he caught him.

Roman started to clap slowly. "Well done. Very well done. Ok, you fund me out. But what now? There is only one you." Said Roman.

"True, but there is also only one you, I'd say we are pretty evenly matched." Said Shade.

"You think I'm stupid enough to go it alone?" asked Roman as he snapped his fingers.

It was after this that at least 50 members of The White Fang came out of hiding. All of them holding some form of weapon.

Shade knew that this was too many people for even him to handle on his own. 'You better be close Ruby.' Thought Shade as he drew his swords. He had brought them with him for no reason at first, but now he was glad that he did.

"Alright let's get this over with quickly please." Said Roman as he sent all the members of The White Fang after Shade. After The White Fang members attacked Shade, he started to fight them off, but they got back up as fast as he could knock them down, all they had to do was wear him out, and then he would be finished. Just before he ran out of energy, he saw a blur of red flash by his eyes. He then looked to his left and saw all of his friends come out of the shadows with their weapons at the ready. They all made quick work of the White Fang members. Shade then looked around to see Roman escaping on an airship. Shade tried to shoot it down, but he couldn't. He was about to chase after it, but was stopped by Weiss.

"You may be fast, but that is an airship. It is even faster, and it can fly. You can't." reasoned Weiss, before realizing that her hand was on Shade's shoulder, and she instantly became nervous and blushed a bright red before pulling her hand away. 'My god. Even the slightest contact?! Really?!' Weiss asked herself.

"Alright good point. But DAMN! Good thing you guys showed up when you did. I don't think I could've held out much longer." Said Shade.

Blake the walked up to Shade and hugged him tightly. "Please promise me you won't do anything so dangerous again! You could've died! If we didn't get here when we did…" Shade silenced Blake with a deep kiss.

"You don't need to worry about me. I will be fine. As long as I have a reason to fight, I won't go down. At least…not easily." Replied Shade.

"Alright. I'm spent. Let's get back to Beacon. I need to rest up." Said Ruby.

"You're spent. You fought for like 5 minutes. I fought for 20 easily, and I fought at least 50 guys. You fought like 5 at most. How tired do you think I am?" asked Shade.

They all shared a good laugh. They all then started walking back to the airship that Ozpin had sent to pick them up. Shade started to doze off on the ride back, but managed to stay awake. Ruby, however, wasn't as good at staying awake. She fell asleep halfway back. When they got off the airship, Sun carried Ruby off the ship. Sun brought Ruby back to the room before going back to his room. Everyone said a quick goodnight to each other and went to sleep. Weiss was actually able to sleep now that she knew that Shade might like her back.

'Hopefully I'll have a chance at getting Shade sometime in the future. Maybe not soon, but eventually. I hope so.' Thought Weiss.

 **Chapter end. Well that was an eventful chapter huh? I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it too. Remember to leave review if you liked it, as well as if you have a suggestion for this story. Also remember to vote on my Straw Poll. It will only be up until I post the next chapter, and it will have an effect on the way the story progresses. So remember to cast your vote and let your voice be heard. But for now, I will see you all in the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone. This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I'm very sorry for what I'm about to say, but please just hear me out. I was thinking about it, and I realized that if I went off the Straw Poll results, it would inevitably make people upset that the one they picked wouldn't happen, so I think that I'm just going to try to write all of them. If one doesn't get written, I am very sorry, it would only be because I couldn't find a place for it to fit correctly. Also, if you didn't want any lemon scene, I am sorry, but if I weren't to pick any of the lemon options, everyone who wanted one wouldn't have a way to read them, but you can skip them. I am sorry if this makes you upset, but that is how I think I will do it. Now, you all know what time it is.**

 **Tyson113: Thank you for the review, and I always respond to the reviews I am left.**

 **Guest: Thank you. I hope that you continue reading this story.**

 **Alright now that that's over with, I don't own RWBY, and let's just start the chapter already.**

Chapter 11: Is it possible?

The next day Blake woke up first. When she woke up Shade was still fast asleep. She couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked when he was asleep. She had considered staying in bed and snuggling with him, but knew that she had to get up. She got out of bed and got into the shower. When she got out the rest of her team was crowding around Shade and scratching their heads. After her team saw her, they took turns showering. First was Yang, then Ruby and finally Weiss. Blake had looked over to what was confusing the rest of her team, and she had to admit, it certainly was peculiar. Shade still seemed calm, but he was sleep talking in a language that she didn't understand. He didn't look to be saying any full sentences, but rather single words. There were a few words that came up the most often. These words sounded like _neco_ , _genus_ , _perdere_ , and _finem_. Blake had no idea what these words meant, or even what language they were in, but she brushed them off. After brushing the off, Blake heard something else that interested her. Shade had said _Te amo_ _Blake_. She had no idea what he had said, but seeing as it ended in her name, she knew that she had to ask Shade about it when he woke up. After the whole team finished their shower, Shade was still fast asleep. Team JNPR then came over to invite Team RWBY as well as Shade into town, but when they saw that Shade was still asleep, they decided to play a little joke on him.

"Hey Ruby? Do you still have that whistle from the first night here?" asked Weiss, smiling devilishly.

Ruby instantly took out her whistle. Everyone else covered their ears, human or cat, as it were. Ruby blew the whistle as loudly as she could. This woke Shade up, but his eyes remained closed. When the noise woke him up, he knew that he had to scare them back for this, and there is no time like the present. When Ruby stopped blowing the whistle, she thought that Shade was still asleep. She decided to get closer to Shade before blowing it again. She was beside his bed, and just before she blew the whistle, Shade opened his eyes and screamed at the top of his lungs, nearly making Ruby jump out of her skin and scream along with everyone else in the room. Shade then burst into laughter.

"Gotcha!" yelled Shade. Normally this would make his friends mad, but they quickly shrugged it off, and started laughing as well.

"So Shade, team JNPR here wanted to know if you wanted to come into town with them. We are, but you don't have to if you don't want to. They are also going to invite Velvet, Sun, Mercury and Sarah." Explained Weiss.

"Alright yeah sure, just let me shower first." Said Shade, getting into the shower. After Shade got out of the shower, he and his friends went to get everyone else. On the way to town, everyone wanted to know something. Why did Shade chase after Roman Torchwick? What caused him to feel the need to go after him? Whenever he was asked Shade just replied with "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you right now. I will though. Just not yet." No one liked this answer but seeing as it took him a while to answer and he seemed visibly shaken when he did, they decided not to press any further. They knew that he would tell them in time. When the airship landed in town, Blake asked Shade if she could talk to him alone for a few seconds.

"Umm, yeah sure. We'll catch up soon." Said Shade.

"Ok. We'll see you soon." Said Ruby.

After their friends had left, Blake confronted Shade about what had happened this morning.

"What we're you saying this morning?" asked Blake.

"What do you mean?" asked Shade.

"Well, you were talking in you r sleep, but you weren't speaking English. I don't know what you were speaking, but you said words that sounded like neco, genus, perdere, and finem. I don't know what they mean, but that's not important. After that you said "Te amo Blake." I want to know what language you were speaking and what you said at the end there." said Blake.

"Well, from what you said, it sounds like I was speaking Latin, and loosely translated from Latin to English, "Te amo Blake" means…well it means… "I-I l-love you Blake." So I guess that is what I was saying." Explained Shade.

Blake however, was just in shock. Shade had never said that he loved her before. She was never happier, and she couldn't respond with anything but a wide smile. She quickly threw her arms around her boyfriend and gave him a deep kiss on his lips. He wasted no time kissing her back. They broke apart when they realized that they did in fact need air to survive.

"I love you too Shade." said Blake before they caught up with their friends.

After breaking apart they left down the street to catch up with their friends. They all noticed the two of them smiling more than they could ever remember them doing before.

'Well, they're happy about something. I wonder what it is.' Weiss wondered.

It wasn't long until the group reached their new favourite hangout spot. The café.

"Well, let's go then." Said Jaune. When they got in, Pyrrha already knew what everyone wanted, and she asked Sarah to come up and help her. Weiss was about to go up with them, but Shade offered to do it. He got up and the three of them waited in line.

Pyrrha and Sarah looked at Shade, who was usually very talkative, but now he was silent. He also looked very different than a few moments ago. He looked very happy a little while ago, but now he looked conflicted. As if two of his long-time friends were in an argument, and he didn't know who to side with. He wanted to side with both of them, but he knew he couldn't, and he knew that he shouldn't.

"What's wrong Shade? You looked conflicted." asked Pyrrha.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm fine." Said Shade. However, neither Pyrrha nor Sarah was buying it. They knew something was wrong, however they also knew that they couldn't just ask to get him to answer, so they played along with what he said.

"Alright Shade. So, why were you so happy before?" asked Pyrrha.

"Oh, me and Blake just said that we love each other for the first time." Said Shade smiling, but before long, he looked conflicted again.

"Are you sure you're Ok? You seem upset about something." Said Sarah, still trying to get an answer out of Shade.

"Yes Sarah. I'm fine." Said Shade, getting visibly irritated.

"Ok, that's it. I know you are lying to me and frankly I'm sick of it. What is wrong?" asked Sarah, equally irritated.

"Nothing is wrong Sarah…" replied Shade, nearly at breaking point, and not in the way that Sarah wanted.

"Me and Pyrrha both know that that is a fat load of shit, and so do you. Just give me a straight answer. What. Is. Wrong?" asked Sarah.

Shade knew that he was about to snap, and he knew that he couldn't snap in a public place like this. He knew that he wasn't going to tell them what was wrong, but he also knew that if he stayed there much longer one of two things would happen. He would either snap, or he would end up telling them. With this on mind, he knew he had to leave so he could have some time to himself. "Nothing is wrong. But if you think that I'm lying, then maybe you really aren't my friend." Said Shade as he walked out of the café. By the time that Pyrrha and Sarah got to the door, he was long gone, and nowhere to be found. Sarah didn't expect Shade to have such an extreme reaction to her pressuring him into an answer.

"Does he really think that I'm not his friend?" asked Sarah.

"I'm not sure, but I do know that he doesn't want to talk to anybody right now, so it's probably best that we leave him alone for now so that he can cool off for a while. He'll come back eventually." Explained Pyrrha.

"Alright." Replied Sarah, worried her friendship with Shade was over.

Pyrrha and Sarah got back into line and got everyone their drinks apart from Shade's as he wasn't there anymore. When they got back, everyone wanted to know where Shade was, so Pyrrha and Sarah explained what had happened. Everyone was ready to go look for him, but Pyrrha said that it would be better if we just left him alone for a while. They didn't want to wait, but they all knew that Pyrrha was right. So they just sat and drank their drinks, but whenever they tried to start a conversation, it just ended abruptly. Shade wasn't there, and without him, they couldn't seem to hold a conversation. Everyone's moods also seemed to be worse than usual. They knew that Shade was having a harder time then them, but they also knew that they couldn't go and find him. That would just make it worse.

Shade had gone further into town. He stopped by a general store and bought a flask, then he went to a liquor store and bought a large bottle of whisky. He filled up his metal flask, and began to drink as he was walking. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he had to get away for a little while. He ended up in the emerald forest. He checked to make sure that he had his weapons, just in case. He did. He climbed up a tree and continued to drink. This calmed him down considerably. Sitting up in a tree with a bottle of whisky in hand. He noticed that he had his scroll, with all of his music on it. He didn't know if he had any songs that he could listen to right now. He began to scroll through his music. He ended at a song called "Baby Don't Cut by B-Mike". He put on a pair of headphones and hit play.

 **(AN-Shade is going to be singing this song, I just want to warn you, this song is very emotional and depressing. If you are Ok with that, then by all means listen to it, but if you aren't please don't listen to it. You have been warned.)**

 **She's only 17, her whole life's ahead of her.  
She hates school because the people there discredit her.  
Her boyfriend tries to show her that's not how it seems.  
But everyday she just gets lowered with her self-esteem.  
He let's her know that every night will have a brighter day,  
She even tried to overdose and take her life away.  
She's feeling hopeless there just sitting down beside her bed,  
Then he takes his hand and places it beside her head.**

Shade begins to remember the first time he heard this song. It was a few days after he got together with Pyrrha, and he even remembers how he found it. It was the exact song that described what had happened.

 **He tries to hold her but with every touch she still resists,  
And then he sees the scars that bury deep within her wrists,  
She's feeling numb, he tries to beg and plead and ask her, "Why?"  
She says this way she has control of the pain she feels inside.  
He's asking her, "How long it's going since you've felt this way?  
Because you got me here, just feeling so damn helpless."  
She says, "It's been a while. I guess I needed better luck."  
And then he screams at her and tells her, "Baby, never cut!"**

 **Nobody seems to get you, you feel you're on your own,  
But listen, pretty lady, you don't have to be alone.  
So, baby, don't cut, baby, don't cut.  
You can do anything, just promise baby you won't cut.  
I know your heart is hurting, you think the road has end,  
You may just feel that blade you're holding is your only friend.  
But baby don't cut, baby don't cut.  
You can do anything, just promise baby you won't cut.**

 **The next day at school she's feeling better than the day before.  
Even cracked a couple smiles as she walked the corridor.  
But all that seemed to end: she dropped her books when she walked into class.  
And every student in the room just seemed to point and laugh.  
She couldn't take it anymore, she sent her boy a text.  
She said, "I love you with my body, heart and soul to death."  
He thought nothing, typed "I love you", then he sent it.  
By "death" he didn't know that she had literally just meant it.  
**

Shade remembered this line. He also remembered how he felt that the song was reading his mind here the first time he heard it. The only part about this song that didn't fit was the age of the girl in the song. Other than that, it was pretty much dead on.

 **She ducked the next class, ran home into the bathroom.  
Thought to herself she wouldn't break her promise that soon.  
One cut... two cuts... three cuts... four  
The blood just started dripping from the tub to the floor.  
Her boyfriend had a feeling in his stomach that he hated.  
He followed it right down to her house he never waited.  
The front door was open, he heard the water running.  
He stormed into the bathroom and his heart just started gunning.**

 **Nobody seems to get you, you feel you're on your own,  
But listen pretty lady you don't have to be alone.  
So baby don't cut, baby don't cut.  
You can do anything, just promise baby you won't cut.  
I know your heart is hurting, you think the road has end,  
You may just feel that blade you're holding is your only friend.  
But baby don't cut, baby don't cut.  
You can do anything, just promise baby you won't cut.**

 **He puts her arm around his shoulder, he's just tryna lean her back up.  
Yelling out her name as he lays her beside the bathtub.  
Feels his whole world just took a hit from a big avalanche.  
Screaming out so heavily, "Somebody call an ambulance!"  
Feeling mad angry like somebody's led her onto this.  
Her eyeballs are rolling, drifting out of consciousness.  
Thinking to himself why the hell did she just stop at will.  
The tears just keep on rolling as they head to the hospital.**

 **Paramedics rush her in, the doctor calls emergency.  
She's lost a lot of blood the place looks like a murder scene,  
An hour later, the doc walks over with a sour face,  
And says, "Excuse me for the words that I'm about to say.  
I'm sorry for your loss," the boy just starts collapsing.  
His own world, his own girl just took a crashing.  
Saying to himself that it's his fault and that he let it up.  
"Baby, I thought you made a promise you would never cut."**

 **Nobody seems to get you, you feel you're on your own,  
But listen pretty lady you don't have to be alone.  
So baby don't cut, baby don't cut.  
You can do anything, just promise baby you won't cut.  
I know your heart is hurting, you think the road has end,  
You may just feel that blade you're holding is your only friend.  
But baby don't cut, baby don't cut.  
You can do anything, just promise baby you won't cut.**

As the song ended Shade realized that he was crying. This song made too many bad memories resurface. He decided that he couldn't let his team see him in this state, so he decided to find somewhere to stay for the night. He started to walk towards the place that he stayed before going to Beacon. He knocked on the door, and Matt come to it.

"Shade? Is that you? What's up?" asked Matt.

"Hey Matt. Do you mind if I stay here for the night?" asked Shade.

Matt knew that something must have happened, so he let Shade in and directed him to the guest room.

"Thanks Matt." Said Shade as Matt walked out of the room.

"No problem. I'll see you in the morning?" asked Matt.

"Maybe. If I wake up before you, I may leave before you get up. Just in case. Thanks for letting me stay here tonight. I owe you." Said Shade, but Matt just waved it off.

"You don't owe me anything." Said Matt.

"Night." Said Shade, falling asleep almost immediately.

The next morning Shade woke up before Matt. He left a note for Matt on the counter, grabbed his flask and whisky, and started to go back towards Beacon.

Meanwhile back at Beacon, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were getting ready to go into town to look for Shade.

"He has to be on his way back right? He would be looking for us too right? He wouldn't think so little of us that he wouldn't think we would go look for him right?" asked Ruby.

"Too many questions Ruby, but yeah." Said Pyrrha.

"Alright let's go find your boyfriend Blake." Said Nora.

This made Weiss upset again, remembering that Shade was with Blake, and there was little chance that she could have him.

"Alright let's go then." Said Blake, leading the group into town.

The group of friends went to town to look for their friends. It didn't take long to find him because they were asking people if they had seen him, and it was easy to spot a 17 year old with long black hair that covered one of his eyes. It was only after 10 minutes of searching for him that they found him. They were all about to go over at once, but some people wanted to go over and talk to him before the whole group came over. Sarah went first.

"Hey Shade." said Sarah.

"Hey Sarah. Look, I'm sorry. I overreacted. I hope that we can stay friends." Said Shade.

"Of course, but I was also in the wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you to open up so hard." Said Sarah.

Pyrrah was next.

"Hey Pyrrha. I'm sorry I ran like that. I shouldn't have just left like that. That was not cool." Said Shade.

"It's Ok. Just let me know the next time you do that." Said Pyrrha.

"Well I'm really hoping that there isn't a next time, but there might be, and if there is, I will." Said Shade.

"Good. Now Blake wants to talk to you about a couple things actually." Sais Pyrrha as Blake walked over.

Pyrrha left and Blake wrapped her arms around him and began to cry. Shade knew why. "I just want to let you know that I ran away because of my own problems, not because I don't love you. I said that in my sleep, yes, but I also meant it." Said Shade.

Blake looked so relieved that it wasn't that. But it also made her wonder what his problem was. She decided that after the rest of the group came over, she would ask him privately.

"What else did you need to talk to me about?" asked Shade.

Blake took out her scroll and brought up the recording she took of Weiss and Yang. "The day you went to town with Ruby, Weiss and Yang were talking about her feelings towards you and this is what they said. I thought that you might want to hear it." Said Blake.

"Yeah, I do." Replied Shade. He took out headphones and began to listen to the conversation. When it ended, Shade was in shock. "Well, at least that answers why she loves me of all people." Shade said. 'But it doesn't help me decide at all.' He thought afterwards.

"Yeah, I guess it does. Well, let's bring the rest of them over." Said Blake. Weiss heard this and brought everyone over.

She was the first to notice the bottle of whisky and flask. After seeing this she pointed it out to everyone else, and Pyrrha explained that Shade only drank to calm himself down if he had the option. Everyone seemed to be ok with that. After he apologized to the rest of his friends, they all started to bring him back to school. Blake however said that she needed to talk to Shade alone. Shade went with her to a private place.

"I want to know what's wrong. Please tell me." Asked Blake.

Shade didn't want to answer, but knew that he had to. "Ok, this is a long story, but I think that Pyrrha should be around for it, because it kind of also involves her and she deserves to know." Blake quickly sent a message to Pyrrha telling her to meet her and Shade where they were. Pyrrha showed up shortly.

"What's up?" asked Pyrrha.

"Alright here's the story." Said Shade.

 **CLIFFHANGER! Sorry but I think that this would be a good time to cut it off and leave it on a good cliffhanger. Once again, I'm sorry that I cancelled the Straw Poll, but I hope you can understand my reasoning. But for now, I am leaving it here, and I will see you in the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello once again everybody! This is The Burning Ruler back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I would usually respond to my reviews here, but I haven't gotten any. So let's get this chapter started! I don't own RWBY, and let's start this chapter already!**

Chapter 12: Will tragedy strike twice?

 **(Starting with a flashback! Approximately 3 years ago…)**

"SHADE!" yelled a girl.

"Hey Brittany! How are you?" asked Shade. Brittany was Shade's first girlfriend when he came to Mistral. They had started dating when Shade had pulled her off the brink of suicide. She had thought that no one cared about her and was about to jump off a building, but Shade saw her about to jump. He quickly got to the roof and pulled her off the ledge. She was in shock that someone that she had never met was the only person that even made an attempt to stop her from jumping. Shade eventually convinced her that suicide wasn't the answer, and this restored her faith in friendship. After a few months of just being friends, Shade asked her out, and she quickly agreed. They had been dating for about a year and they couldn't be happier.

"I'm good honey. How are you?" asked Brittany.

"Well if you're ok, then so am I." said Shade. (I know that it's cheesy but I don't care.)

"Flatterer…" said Brittany.

"I only speak the truth." Said Shade.

The two embraced each other and kissed deeply. After they ended the kiss, Sun came up to the two.

"Sup guys?" asked Sun.

"Not much Sun. How about you?" asked Shade.

"Same. At least for now, but I'm throwing a party at my place. Either one of you want to come?" asked Sun.

"Yeah, I'm up for it." Said Shade. He usually didn't party much, but he decided that it might be a good idea to head out at least a couple times.

"I'll pass. I'm feeling a bit tired. I'm going to turn in early. I'll see you tomorrow Shade." said Brittany.

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow Brittany." Replied Shade, planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"Then let's go Shade." said Sun.

Shade and Sun walked off towards Sun's house. As they walked in, Shade immediately noticed that the music being played at the moment was their own song.

"Yeah. This is our song isn't it?" asked Shade.

"Damn right. You honestly didn't think that I wouldn't play this tonight right?" asked Sun.

"Yeah, good point." Said Shade.

"Hey Shade!" yelled a voice from across the room.

"Hey Sarah! How's it going?" asked Shade.

"Pretty good, how about you?" asked Sarah.

"I'm good." Said Shade.

Shade looked towards the door because he heard it close, and that meant that someone else had arrived. As he looked towards the door, his two friends had left him alone, so he went to the door. When he got there, he noticed a rather pretty girl. She had bright red hair, and it she was wearing a school uniform.

"Hello." Said Shade.

"Um…hi…" said the girl, obviously nervous.

"You seem nervous." Said Shade.

"Um…I kind of am. This is my first time ever going to a party." Said the girl.

"There really isn't a need to be nervous. It may not seem like it, but I know that there are a few people here that aren't total idiots." Said Shade.

"I hope you're talking about me." Said Sun as she walked up to Shade and the girl.

"Of course I'm talking about you." Said Shade.

"Who is he?" asked the girl.

"Oh right. This is my friend Sun." said Shade. "Sun this is…um…this is the part where you introduce yourself." Said Shade realizing that he didn't know the name of the girl he had just met.

"Oh right. My name is Pyrrha." Said the girl.

"Nice to meet you Pyrrha. My name is Shade, or at least I go by that, so just call me that." Said Shade.

"Ok then Shade." said Pyrrha.

After that Sun broke off from the other two, leaving Shade and Pyrrha alone together. Shade and Pyrrha became friends quickly. They had a lot in common. Pyrrha asked Shade a question that he wasn't expecting.

"So, are you currently involved with anyone?" asked Pyrrha, curiously.

"Yeah. She didn't want to come here though." Said Shade.

"Oh…ok." Said Pyrrha, sounding somewhat upset.

"Are you?" asked Shade.

"What?" asked Pyrrha back.

"Are you involved with anyone?" said Shade.

"Oh…no I'm not." Replied Pyrrha.

"Oh. Well I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough." Said Shade.

"I hope so." Said Pyrrha.

After this Shade and Pyrrha decided to hit the bar. Shade got some whisky while Pyrrha got a cocktail. After a few drinks for each of them, they began to get a little tipsy, but they didn't care, they were having a good time. They had a few more drinks, and that was the last that Shade could remember from that night.

 **(Flashback over!)**

"I still don't know what the problem is, or why Pyrrha had to be here." Said Blake.

"I'm getting there. After I woke up the next morning on Sun's couch, I knew that I was hungover, so I got up and walked over to my girlfriend's house. I walked in and went to the bedroom where I expected to see her. I also didn't see her phone anywhere. I decided to call her and say hello so I could find out where she was and meet up with her." Said Shade.

"I don't remember this part of the story." Said Pyrrha.

"Please let me finish this story Pyrrha." Said Shade.

"Ok." Said Pyrrha, unaware of what was coming.

"After I dialed her number, I heard the ringtone of her phone coming from the bathroom. I walked over to the bathroom door and was about to open it when I heard what sounded like water running. I figured that she was taking a shower. So I waited for a little while. After about 10 minutes I got worried. She had never taken that long in the shower before. I decided that I needed to go into the room. I didn't know what to expect, but no matter what I had expected, it wouldn't have prepared me for what awaited me inside. The shower was on, but that was the only thing that was right about my showering assumption. My girlfriend was laying in the bathtub, with cuts all along her wrists. My first instinct was to go over to her and check her for a pulse. I checked her neck for a pulse, and didn't feel anything. She was gone, and I didn't even know why. I checked my phone. I thought that maybe when I was drunk last night she had sent me a text or something. But there wasn't anything on my phone. I looked on the counter, and saw her phone. I decided that I should check it. Maybe there was something on it that would help me figure out why she had done this. The first thing I noticed on it was that there was a note on it that was addressed to me. I opened it up. This is what it said." Explained Shade.

"Dear Shade,

If you're reading this then I am laying down next to you in the bathtub dead. You are probably wondering why I did this. I would explain it to you, but I think that it would be better if I showed you. If you go to my messages, you will find my most recently received message. That should explain it well enough.

I will always love you,

Brittany."

"I was frantic at this point. I immediately closed the note and looked to her messages. The most recent one was from someone who I didn't know personally, but I knew that it was one of Brittany's friends. She had spoken about him many times. I checked the message, and saw that there was a video attached to it. The message itself said 'I'm sorry, but you deserve to know' which confused me. I opened the video to see the party. Her friend was talking into his phone. He said 'Hey there Brittany. I didn't want to have to do this, but you do deserve to know.' Then it turned to show two people. I recognized me, but when I thought I couldn't remember this scene." Said Shade.

"What happened Shade?" asked Pyrrha.

"For the last time Pyrrha, I am getting to it!" yelled Shade. Recounting this story was clearly having a deep emotional effect on him. "I'm sorry Pyrrha, but remember when I told you what happened during the party on the next day?' asked Shade.

"Yeah I do. You also told me about your girlfriend committing suicide out of depression." Said Pyrrha.

Blake was still just listening to the story.

"Yeah. Well, I'm sorry but I lied. I told the truth about what I remembered, but that was just what I remembered on my own. I looked at the video closer, and I was sitting at the bar. You were sitting beside me, and we were, well, we were…kissing. The video turned back to Brittany's friend, saying that he was sorry. That was where the video ended. I looked at my girlfriend, or ex in this case, and I knew that it was me who caused this. I got drunk and pretty much cheated on her, causing her suicide. I started to cry instantly. About a week after this was her funeral. I was there, as was Pyrrha. That was the day that Pyrrha told me that she had feelings for me, and that was also when I realized that I had feelings for her too. I realized that I had feelings for her even when I was still with my now deceased girlfriend. We then started dating, her never knowing the truth, and me, completely trying to ignore what I had caused." Explained Shade.

Blake and Pyrrha were both in shock. They both started to hug Shade and said that he didn't have to say anything else. Something must have happened recently that caused him to remember that, but Shade said that he needed to say something quickly.

"The reason that I have been on edge for a while now, is because I have a girlfriend and even though I love her very much, the same thing that happened then is coming back, and I don't want tragedy to strike twice."

Blake was confused. She then realized that he meant that he was getting feelings for someone else. "Who is it Shade?" asked Blake.

"Well at least I don't have to explain that. It's…um i-it's…um…" Shade couldn't answer the question.

"What's wrong Shade? Why can't you answer?" asked Blake.

"I just can't. I promised myself I wouldn't." said Shade.

"Shade…please tell me. I don't mind, you already know that." said Blake.

"Yeah I know, but I'm worried that if I do, what happened to Brittany will happen to you or even her if she finds out." said Shade.

"Shade, why would you think that?" asked Blake.

"Well, because I already rejected her before because we were together and back then, I didn't feel like this for her." Said Shade.

"Well, is she single?" asked Blake.

"Yeah, or at least I think so." Said Shade.

"It has to be either Weiss or Velvet. They are the only ones that have told you they like you while you were with me. So is it one of them? If you tell me, I won't ask who it is." Said Blake, knowing that he wouldn't tell her a name, but he could lower the amount of choices.

"Ok, yes. It's one of them, but that's all you're getting from me. I just want to forget this conversation." Said Shade.

"Ok, we can drop it now." Said Blake, walking with Shade and Pyrrha towards the airships.

"Also, could you do something for me?" asked Shade.

"What?" asked Blake.

"I need you two to promise me that you won't tell either of them that I might have feelings for them." Said Shade.

"Of course. We won't tell them." Promised Blake and Pyrrha

"Thanks you two. You guys are the best." Said Shade.

'Wow. Shade has had a bad life. How is it that he has managed to keep his chin up after everything that he has been through. That clearly had a big emotional impact on him. I hope that he isn't keeping everything bottled up inside. That isn't healthy.' Thought Blake.

'God. I didn't expect that to have such a big emotional effect on him. I understand why he ran after Sarah started to pressure him into answering. I would've too. He really needs to let his feelings out every once in a while without needing to be pressured into doing it. Keeping everything inside is just going to make everything worse." Thought Pyrrha.

Suddenly, Shade stopped walking. His ears started to twitch. He looked to the right and started running in that direction.

"WAIT! SHADE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" yelled Blake, running after him.

"Oh for the love of…" said Pyrrha, chasing after the two faunus.

Shade ran down the streets as fast as his legs would carry him, with Blake barely able to keep up with him, and leaving Pyrrha in the dust. After Pyrrha realized that she had lost them, she went back to the airships, telling the group by a message that Shade heard something and took off with Blake. Ruby sent back that she should just come back, knowing that Blake and Shade would be Ok. After hearing the message, Weiss became worried about her friend and crush, but quickly dismissed her worries when she remembered what Shade said back at the docks.

' _As long as I have something to fight for, I won't go down easily.'_

'You better hold true to your word Shade.' thought Weiss.

After chasing Shade for a good hour, he stopped in an alley. When Blake caught up to him, he put one of his hands over her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Stay quiet. They are right there." Whispered Shade.

"Who?" whispered Blake.

"Look for yourself." Whispered Shade.

Blake looked around the corner to see dozens, no, hundreds of White Fang members lurking around.

"What do we do?" asked Blake, knowing that the two of them couldn't take them on alone.

"We wait, and we observe. Eventually, they will leave here. I know from my time with them that they will move within a half hour, unless this is their main camp, but I don't see a leader's tent, which makes that unlikely." Whispered Shade.

They waited for 10 minutes until the White Fang started to move. Shade and Blake followed along silently, almost being caught a few times, but staying concealed. One time, they were almost caught but Shade managed to pull Blake back in time. The white fang member brought one of his buddies to investigate, but Shade knocked them out quickly. He and Blake had the same idea at the same time. They quickly took the white fang outfits and put them on. They decided that the white fang would get suspicious if two members walked away and disappeared, so they would take their places, and get some valuable intel at the same time.

When they got back, a White Fang member spoke to them in Latin. He asked "Quid illuc est?"

"Sicut quidam murem super pulsans can. Nihil interest." Replied Shade.

'Thank god Shade can speak Latin.' Thought Blake.

"Bonum. Festinate et ascendite! Duces nobis occurrit." Said the white fang member.

"Etiam Domine." Said Shade.

They two walked with the white fang members until they came to a large camp. They were told to report to the leader's tent immediately.

Shade, Blake and one other member began walking towards the tent.

"So, why are you two here?" asked the other member.

"What?" asked Shade.

"Shade, Blake. It's me, Sun. I'm undercover, like you. After we left for the airships I saw a white fang member hanging out in the alley, so I tracked them, I isolated one, took his uniform, and met up with his buddy. I can't speak Latin so it's a damn good thing that the guy was a mute so I didn't have to say anything. But now we may be screwed. I can't speak Latin, but you don't know what happened, and even then, I don't think either of you can speak Latin." Said Sun.

"I can speak Latin, so just tell me what happened and I can tell the leader, so our covers aren't blown." Said Shade.

"Prove it first." Said Sun.

"Latine loqui possum, et dic mihi quid dicam et dux noster qui non succenditur adfligetur opercula." Said Shade, repeating himself in Latin.

"Fine. We were scouting for a new camp. We only found one possible area, but the grim are everywhere over there, so there is no way we could set up a camp there." Said Sun.

"Got it." Said Shade.

They walked into the leader's tent and he demanded a status report.

"Inventa autem una tantum fieri consuevit, sed ubique sunt tristes, ita nullo modo posse statuit castra." Said Shade, saying what Sun had said in Latin.

"Optime. Dimissi." Said the leader.

Shade bowed and Blake and Sun realized that they should do the same. After they bowed, the three managed to sneak out of camp, get out of the white fang outfits, back into their normal clothes and return to beacon completely fine. After getting there, they decided that they should tell Ozpin what they had learned. After reporting to Ozpin what they had learned, he dismissed them saying that they couldn't do anything right yet, but maybe soon. Sun, Blake, and Shade all went to their rooms.

"Ah, back at last. You know Weiss is going to scold us for not telling her right?" asked Blake

"Of course, but that would happen either way. So let's just get it out in the open right away." Said Shade.

They walked in and were immediately asked by Weiss what they were doing and where they were. Shade explained it as best he could, and they all went to bed.

Shade had a hard time staying asleep, as a recurring nightmare kept waking him up. Every time it was almost the same thing. He was standing in Brittany's bathroom, with a dead person beside him, but it wasn't Brittany. Without it being her, he would've expected it to always be Blake, which it was the first few times. But after a couple of the dreams, it turned to Weiss, the Velvet, and after that back to Blake, and it just continued on that cycle. After the nightmare woke him up the fifth time, he gave up on sleep, so he left for the training room. Weiss woke up due to hearing Shade leave the room. She decided that maybe she should follow him. When she got there, she heard Shade mumbling to himself while fighting a bot. He was fighting very well. She noticed that instead of trying to refine his abilities, but instead trying to overcome his weaknesses. He was trying to move to the sides when the bot came down for a vertical attack, and it was a little hit or miss, but he still looked like his fighting style was lacking something. Though his attacks were frequent, his hits weren't very strong. Against most people speed would be enough, but if he fought someone fast, it wouldn't. She almost came out of hiding, but Shade looked like he was done, so she ran back to the room before Shade could notice her. Or at least that's what she thought.

"Does she really think that I didn't see her?" Shade asked himself. "Probably."

Shade then started to walk back to the room, and Weiss was pretending that she was asleep. Shade was looking for something under his bed. He pulled out the sword modification kit that Blake got him. He then looked at it and put his swords down next to it. He looked like he was trying to figure out what to do. He had no ideas until he looked around his room. His eyes stopped on Weiss, and he had an idea, but he needed to get something from town tomorrow. He decided that he should try to get some sleep tonight, because he knew that it would take a long time to modify his weapon for what he wanted. After tiring himself out in the training room and calming down by thinking about what to do with his weapon, sleep came quickly and with no nightmares.

The next day Shade awake again before everyone and got in the shower quickly. When he got out, no one else was awake, but he didn't want to go into town alone, so he decided to hang out with someone else, but he didn't know who. He thought about asking Velvet, but after sending her a message, he found out she was sick and should just stay here and rest, but she knew someone who wanted to meet him, and that she was willing to keep him company for the day. She just told him to come down to her room. Shade said Ok, left a note for his roommates and went to Velvet's dorm. He knocked twice, and one of Velvet's teammates that he recognized as Fox came to the door. Fox simply nodded and went into a separate part of the room. After a while, Velvet's teammate Coco came to the door.

"So I heard that you are looking for someone to head into town with?" asked Coco.

"Yeah. You up for it?" asked Shade.

"Of course. You ready now?" asked Coco.

"Of course. Let's go." Said Shade, walking with Coco.

Coco had wanted to meet Shade for a while now, not just because she wanted to know what he looked like, but also why Velvet and Weiss had a crush on him. She had to admit that he was quite handsome, but knew that that wasn't the only reason. After heading into town Shade saw a Faunus girl being picked on, and told Coco to just wait for a second. Shade walked over, said something to the people picking on the faunus, and that caused them to leave rather hastily.

"Sorry about that. Let's go." Said Shade.

"How did you do that?" asked Coco, confused.

"I could tell those guys had no stones the second I saw them. Only wimps pick on girls and faunus. They think that they are tough, but they aren't. A quick death threat, and they all run away." Said Shade.

Coco now knew why Velvet liked him, but was still lost on Weiss. Did she admire his courage? His honesty? What was it? This was confusing to Coco, but she decided that she would find out by the end of the day. After walking for a few more minutes, Shade saw the shop he needed. The sign read "From Dust Till Dawn." Shade walked in and bought a vial of all the types of dust. He quickly paid and walked out, to see Coco being harassed by a bunch of thugs. She would normally kick all their asses, but she didn't have her weapon for some reason until he saw that one of the thugs had taken it, hoping to get some lien while his buddies held her back. Shade drew one of his swords and grabbed the thug that had Coco's bag, holding the sword up to his neck.

"Nobody move or he dies." Everyone froze in place. "Now put the bag down." Shade demanded and the thug sat the bag on the ground. "Let her go…NOW!" yelled Shade. The other thugs immediately released Coco, and she ran forward to grab her bag. Shade was about to release the thug, but Coco said to keep them there while she called the cops. Shade pushed the thug down and told them to stay where they were or they were dead. When one tried to run he found the tip of Shade's sword against his neck. He sat back down. They all stayed still until the cops arrived.

"Thank you both. We've been looking for these guys for a while. They actually have a bounty on their heads. Come with us to the precinct and we'll get in touch with the one who had a bounty put on them." Said one of the officers.

Shade and Coco followed. Partly for the reward, but also partly to make sure the criminals didn't try to pull an escaping act. When they got to the precinct, one officer brought them into the back room. He called a number, and a man appeared on the screen. Shade noted that he looked somewhat like a male version of Weiss.

"Mr. Schnee." Said the officer.

'That makes sense now.' Thought Shade.

"Hello officer. What happened?" He then noticed Shade there. "Ah, so you found that member of the White Fang I had asked you to."

"Actually, no. This young man saved this woman from being robbed by the men that robbed you a few months ago. We brought them here so you could give them the reward. We brought her because she was the one who called the cops and she did have a hand in the arrest." Explained the officer.

"Very well. You each get two rewards. First, you both get 1000 lien. Second, the officer with you has my phone number. When you need a favour, call me, and you will get it. Finally, I would like to speak with the boy, privately, for a few minutes." Said Weiss' dad.

"Of course." Said the officer.

"What can I help you with Sir?" asked Shade.

"I know who you are Shade. You don't need to refer to me as Sir, but I would prefer it if you did. Weiss has told me a lot about you." Said Weiss' father.

"I assume nothing but good things?" asked Shade.

"Of course. I must say, you are nothing like I envisioned you to be like. Weiss has told me that you are attending beacon with her as a teammate of hers. She has also told me that she has a crush on you. At first when she said that you were a faunus, I had told her that she couldn't be with you, but now after hearing that you did this, maybe you aren't a bad choice for my daughter. I will call her and tell her that she can date you, but, she said that you are already with someone else. Is that true?" asked Weiss' father.

"Yes sir. However, I do believe that I may be falling for Weiss. I intend to find out if I do love her, and I will act accordingly. I can assure you of that sir." Responded Shade.

"Of course. If you two do end up becoming a couple, the first thing I want to do is for you to call me and tell me that you have. I won't tell her that I am ok with the two of you dating yet, but I want to see the look on my daughter's face when I tell her I am Ok with it." Said Weiss' father.

"Of course Sir. I will call you if it does happen. I expect that it will. However, I want you to promise me that if for whatever reason if we do breakup" Shade was cut off.

"I know. Sometimes it just doesn't work out. I know that." Said Weiss' father.

"Thank you sir." Said Shade as Weiss' father nodded and hung up.

Shade walked out of the room and received his reward as well as the phone number of Weiss' father. He and Coco then left and went back to beacon. Coco now knew why Weiss liked him. He never backed down from anything. He took on those thugs with no hesitation to help her. He didn't even know her that well, but he still did. She loved his sense of justice. When they landed Coco went back to her room after saying goodbye to Shade and he went to his room to begin modifying his swords. He sat down and got to work, before realizing that his teammates weren't there. He saw a note saying that they had to head into town and that if he got back before them to let them know so they would know he got back ok. In brackets it said that Weiss asked them to write that.

'Of course it was Weiss.' Thought Shade. He sent a message to Blake saying that he was back at the room, and soon got a message back saying ok. He then got to work on modifying his weapon. He set it up so that it could become cloaked in a certain type of dust, as well as shoot dust rounds.

"That should work out. Let's test it." Said Shade heading to the training room. After making sure that it worked right he tested his swords and realized that the dust attacks also affected his semblance. When he merged with his shadow, it left a copy of him. It looked like a copy of him, but exploded into the type of dust he was using when the copy was hit. He quickly realized that it was somewhat like Blake's semblance, minus the explosions, freezing and electrocution. After getting in some training, his teammates walked into the training room. They had shown up in the hopes of fighting Shade, but noticed that he was tired, so they fought each other, giving Shade some time to rest. After Shade was rested enough, he challenged Yang. Yang was happy to accept. She didn't know that Shade now used dust in his fighting style. She wasn't prepared. Shade noticed that her punches had a lot of power behind them, and he would have a hard time blocking them. He quickly switched to a fire dust and activated his semblance. He exploded into black smoke and merged with his shadow moving behind Yang. Ruby knew that Shade had just used his semblance, but when the smoke cleared and she saw Shade's copy, she was confused. Shade then came up out of the ground and everyone was confused, but kept quiet, not wanting to let Yang know so it was still a fair fight. Yang punched Shade's copy, and it exploded into fire, sending Yang back into Shade's fist, which knocked her into the air. Instead of jumping up and hitting her back down he simply let her fall onto his knee, knocking her aura into the red.

"Good fight Yang." Said Shade, helping her up.

"How did you…How?" asked Yang.

"I found a way to use dust in my fighting style. That was a copy full of fire dust, hence the explosion." Said Shade.

"A surprise everyday with you, isn't it?" asked Yang.

"Pretty much." Said Shade, he then caught Weiss staring at him. When he saw her, she quickly looked away, blushing fiercely.

'I really shouldn't do this anymore. Weiss loves me so much. If this continues, there is a good chance that she will start to suffer in worse and worse ways. That may affect her personally. I should really break up with Blake. I hope she understands.' Thought Shade.

When they were all about to leave, Shade asked Blake to hang out for a little while longer. Blake stayed, and she could guess what this was about the second she saw the look on Shade's face. After everyone had left, Shade didn't even get a chance to speak. Blake simply said. "It's Weiss, you love her just as much, and I completely understand." Said Blake.

"Well, that makes my job much easier doesn't it?" said Shade, still trying to brighten the situation with humor.

"You don't have to do that. I'm not upset at all. I knew this day would come eventually, and I'm just glad that I am losing you to one of my best friends. However, if I was you, I would wait a little bit before I asked her out. Just to give her some time to adjust to the fact that you are single again before you drop another huge bombshell on her." Said Blake.

"Yeah. I was planning on it. Are you going to switch beds with her again?" asked Shade. Blake was about to answer, but Shade quickly said. "Actually nevermind. Surprise me. I'm heading back and to bed now. I'll talk to you in the morning Ok?" asked Shade.

"Ok. Night." Said Blake.

Shade went back to the dorm alone, and everyone knew that he and Blake had broken up. Weiss was sad, but also somewhat happy. She knew that she would at least have a chance with him now. Shade fell asleep instantly. Blake got back and went to bed. Weiss looked at Blake, and then at her old bed and then back at Blake. Blake looked back at the bed, then to Weiss and nodded. Weiss smiled widely and almost jumped across the room to sleep next to Shade. Blake smiled at her happiness, laid down on her old bed and fell asleep.

 **There we go! That was a chapter. Before you say anything, I'll try to guess what you will ask. This is an OC x Velvet story, I promise, and there will still be a Blake lemon scene, just so you know, and if you are wondering about the Latin, let me know with a review and I will include the reasoning at the start of next chapter. If you have any more questions, leave a review. Also let me know how I did with this chapter as well as if you are enjoying the story. But for now, this chapter has ended and, of course, I will see you in the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Goodbye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back again with another chapter or RWBY: A Demon's Life. Nobody left a review about the Latin, but I'll explain here. When Shade was first in the White Fang, they were still speaking English. After a while, their messages were being intercepted, so they switched to Latin so if their messages were intercepted because Latin is a dead language in Remnant. I am having a great time writing this and I think I have some reviews to respond to.**

 **Writen: Yeah, sorry about all the clichés, but that is just how I planned it. Most of the character traits are actual traits I have in real life. For an example, I actually have MPD and anger management issues, so, so does my OC. I also know that my OC is OP, but there is a reason for it. This is a slight spoiler alert. He will end up getting the ever living fuck beaten out of him eventually. Maybe not soon, but eventually.**

 **Guest: Um, what? I think you may have left a review on the wrong story dude.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, I don't own RWBY, and let's get this started!**

Chapter 13: I hope so

Shade awoke to a warm feeling next to him. He originally thought it was Blake, but dismissed that thought when the warmth spread around his torso. Blake wouldn't be hugging him, right? He slowly turned around to see Weiss asleep next to him, holding him, and smiling in her sleep. Shade smiled as well. Shade was about to get up, but didn't want to disturb Weiss, so he just decided to stay in bed for a little longer and maybe get some extra rest. He needed some after getting very little the past night. He lied back down, and fell asleep quickly. While he was asleep, Yang woke up and saw Shade and Weiss sleeping together, and got mad. She didn't know why Shade wasn't sleeping with Blake, and she wasn't happy. She thought that Shade was cheating on Blake with Weiss. She decided to wake up Blake and let her know about this. She hopped down from her bunk and woke up Blake.

"Ugh…Yang? What are you doing?" asked Blake sleepily.

"Sorry, but you should know. Your boyfriend is sleeping with Weiss." Said Yang, sadly.

"Yeah. No he isn't." said Blake.

"Yeah he is. Look." Said Yang, showing Blake.

Blake simply shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean he isn't my boyfriend. We broke up last night."

"Oh ok…wait…WHAT?!" yelled Yang. This woke up everyone else.

"AH! What the hell Yang?!" yelled Shade, his wolf ears ringing.

"We were trying to sleep!" yelled Weiss, upset about being woke up.

"My poor ears…" whimpered Ruby.

Not long after that, all four members of Team JNPR knocked on the door. Shade opened it up.

"Why are you shouting?!" asked Nora.

"I would also like to know." Said Ren, not caring about the noise, just that he was curious.

"Me too. What happened?" asked Jaune.

Pyrrha simply saw Weiss in the bed that was next to Shade's and looked to Shade. Shade immediately knew what she was thinking, and mouthed the words, not yet but soon…hopefully. Pyrrha gave him a wink and a smile.

"Yang shouted when she heard that me and Shade broke up." Said Blake. This caused everyone else to scream much like Yang did.

"ENOUGH WITH THE SCREAMING!" yelled Shade. Everyone stopped screaming on the spot. "Thank you! Is it such a big deal that me and Blake broke up?" asked Shade.

"Yeah! Of course! Now Weiss and Velvet have a chance!" yelled Nora.

This caused Weiss to blush intensely. She looked down at the ground to try and hide it, but everyone already saw.

"Weiss? We all know that you want Shade. Even he knows. You don't have to try and hide it anymore." Said Yang, getting a chuckle out of Shade.

"Sorry…force of habit." Said Weiss, looking back up.

"Hold on for a second, Shade and Blake are just broken up, that doesn't mean that he likes Weiss or Velvet does it? He might like someone else entirely. Maybe he likes Sarah. Who knows?" asked Jaune.

"Really Jaune?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, how should we know?" Jaune asked Shade.

"You could ask." Sadi Nora, which caused Shade to looked at Nora angrily.

"Oh, good point Nora. Do you like Weiss?" asked Jaune.

He glared at Nora, but realized that he couldn't avoid the question. "I will get you back for this Nora. Yes. I do like Weiss." Sadi Shade, answering the question, and making Weiss happier that she had ever been before. She thought she was dreaming. There was no way that Shade just sadi that, right? Right?

Shade looked at Weiss, who was blushing even more furiously, and clearly didn't believe what she had just heard. He knew that he had to do something to snap her out of it. But what? He looked over to Team JNPR, looking for an idea, but then saw Jaune and Pyrrha kissing. He didn't have a better idea. Swallowing his hesitation, he leaned towards Weiss, and planted a kiss on her lips. Pyrrha and Jaune broke apart and looked over to Shade and Weiss. The sight almost made them scream, but they held it back, as did Ren and Ruby. However, Yang and Nora weren't able to. They screamed at the top of their lungs. Normally this would stop anything, but apparently not Weiss and Shade. They were still kissing, but soon broke apart.

"Umm…umm…" sadi Weiss, unable to form a sentence. Shade simply smiled back at her. It took Weiss a good ten seconds to realize that she wasn't imagining any of what just happened. Shade really did like her. After realizing this, she jumped off the bed and ran towards Shade. When she got to him she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

"So, I guess that Shade and Weiss are together now huh?" asked Ruby.

"I'd say so. So, now what?" asked Yang, somewhat confused as to what to do now.

"Well, the way I see it, not much has changed. In fact the only things that have are who I'm dating and Blake is single." Sadi Shade.

"He's right. So let's just go to the cafeteria as usual." Said Pyrrha.

Everyone left the room and started to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat. They passed by team CFVY's dorm and knocked to get them. When Coco came to the door, she immediately took note that Shade and Weiss were holding hands. She went inside to get Velvet. She found Velvet, told her that Shade and his friends were there. She also sadi that Shade and Blake broke up, and that he and Weiss were together now. Velvet accepted that she had to wait even longer, and even though she didn't want to, she knew that she could. Coco also brought Yatsuhashi and Fox with her. On the way to the cafeteria, Weiss realized something.

"Oh no…" she said.

"What's wrong?" asked Shade.

"I have to tell my father about this. I already told him that I had a crush on you, but he sadi that we couldn't be together." Sadi Weiss.

"Yeah. Good point, but we do have to tell him." Said Shade.

"We?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah of course. There is no way I'm letting you do this on your own. Besides, he probably would want to meet me." Said Shade, knowing what would happen when they call him.

"Ok then. Thanks. We should probably get this over with quickly right?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. The sooner the better." Said Shade.

"Hey guys? We'll catch up with you later." Said Weiss.

"Ok. See you when you're done." Said Ruby.

"Good luck!" yelled Yang.

"Ok. Let's go." Said Weiss, leading Shade to the library to have a quiet place to call her father.

"You ready?" asked Weiss.

"As I'll ever be." Said Shade.

Weiss began dialing her father's number. It didn't take long for her father to pick up.

"Ah hello Weiss. How are you?" asked her father.

"I'm good." Said Weiss.

Here was when Weiss' father noticed that Shade was also with her. Shade nodded slightly. Enough so that Weiss' father would see it, but not so much that Weiss would.

"Who is that with you?" asked Weiss' father.

"Um…well…" sadi Weiss, unable to talk.

"Let me take care of this part. I'm Shade." said Shade.

"I see. So you are the faunus that captured my daughter's heart." Said her father.

Weiss had no idea that they had met previously. She was too worried about what her father would say when she sadi that they were dating. After a while Weiss' father asked why Shade was there as well. Weiss knew that it was time.

"Well you see…we…um…well…we're kind of…together." Said Weiss, almost whispering.

"I see. You are dating a faunus, and you are letting me know because you want my blessing correct Shade?" said Weiss' father.

"Yes sir." Said Shade, trying not to burst out laughing at how much Weiss was worried.

Weiss' father also looked like he was trying to keep a laugh down. He looked at his daughter. She seemed worried beyond all belief, but she was looking directly at Shade with her eyes full of love. He knew that this had gone on long enough.

"Very well." Sadi Weiss' father.

Weiss hadn't noticed that yet, but the second she did, she was sent into complete shock.

"Are you Ok?" asked Shade.

She didn't respond.

"Sir. I think you broke your daughter. Don't worry though. I got this." Said Shade, kissing Weiss. This snapped her out of it.

"Really? You're Ok with me dating Shade?" asked Weiss, not quite believing it.

"Yes. I am. You see, we have actually met before after a day he went into town and captured a criminal gang that I had put a bounty on. I told him that if he did get together with you, that he would call me immediately and let me see the look on your face when I said that you could date him." Said Weiss' father.

Weiss looked at Shade, who simply nodded. "I promised, and I ALWAYS keep my promises." Said Shade.

"It seems that you do, and remember, you still have a favour. Keep that in mind." Said Weiss' father.

"Of course." Said Shade.

After this Weiss and her father said goodbye. Weiss and Shade then walked back to the cafeteria holding hands the entire time. When they got there, they decided to prank their friends. They let go of each other's hands, and looked at the floor. When they sat down, everyone looked sad. Shade and Weiss knew it worked.

"I assume it went worse than expected?" asked Blake.

"No, it went better than expected." Said Shade, bringing his head back up, and laughing with Weiss.

"You both suck, Ok. Both of you." Said Yang.

"Hey Yang. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but I don't care." Sadi Shade.

Weiss giggled at Yang's reaction.

Shade looked around the table to see that four people were missing.

"Anyone seen CRDL lately?" asked Shade, looking around the table at his friends.

None of his friends had recently. Shade was confused. He always saw them at lunch at the very least, but they weren't here.

"I wonder if something happened." Said Shade.

Shade's scroll suddenly buzzed. It was a message from Ozpin. It was telling him and the rest of team RWBY to come to his office. He got up and let everyone know that Ozpin needed to see him and his friends, and they left. After arriving at Ozpin's office Shade asked what he needed.

"We have tracked down the location of Roman Torchwick. I imagined that you would want to pay him a little visit." Said Ozpin.

"You got that right. Where's he hiding?" asked Shade.

"A civilian witnessed him going into a warehouse not far from the docks. I have sent the exact co-ordinates to each of your scrolls." Said Ozpin.

"Ok. Thank you, but if I'm not mistaken, Shade almost took him out all by his lonesome before. The only reason he didn't was because he had at least 50 henchmen with him." Said Weiss, confused as to why there were there.

"Yes, that is true. However, Roman will undoubtedly have more help with him, which is why I have also called team JNPR and team CFVY with you. They will remain nearby, and if they see you get into a jam, they will come to assist. But only if you are blatantly about to lose." Said Ozpin, looking at Weiss.

He knew that if Shade started to struggle in the slightest, she would blow everyone's cover, and go to help him. Weiss nodded in understanding.

"When you are prepared, you all may head to the airships. They will take you close to the warehouse. Not close enough to blow your cover, but close enough to save you a long trek through town." Said Ozpin.

"Thank you Ozpin. May I ask a question quickly?" asked Shade.

"Of course. What's on your mind?" asked Ozpin.

"I was wondering where team CRDL is at. We haven't seen them around in a long while." Said Shade.

"They have been on a mission for a while. We received word from them yesterday saying that they will be back shortly." Said Ozpin.

Shade simply nodded and left with his friends towards the airships. After boarding one they rode it to the docks. After landing, Shade told his friends to stay back for a while.

"If I look like I'm about to go down, only half of you guys come over." Said Shade. Weiss was about to protest, but Shade silenced her. "The rest of you, wait for a perfect opportunity to attack, then attack, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Ok. You got it." Said Yang.

After all his friends got into the shadows, he went towards the warehouse, and drew his swords. Creeping along the outside, he looked into windows every time he got the opportunity. After looking in, he saw crates of dust, but nothing else. He continued to look around through the windows, but saw nobody inside. He was looking for an entrance to the warehouse. He eventually found a door. He checked behind him, checking for White Fang, as well as his friends. They were still right behind him. He looked inside, and still saw no enemies. He opened the warehouse door, and still saw no one. He walked in, and still just saw dust crates. He explored around, and there was no one around. He looked around again, and still nothing. He was about to call the search off, when he saw something out of his peripheral vision. He followed it, but lost the shadow. Looking around, he found multiple shadow figures. He went to hide, but they saw him before he could get out of sight. They all drew their weapons. He ran out of the warehouse, and the shadow's followed. He looked and saw that they were all White Fang grunts. They attacked, but weren't able to land any hits on Shade. He thought that this would be easy, until he got shot from the side.

"Shit!" he yelled after getting hit.

He looked to the side he got shot from, and saw Roman Torchwick, with more White Fang members. He went after Roman before getting shot from above by a blast of fire. He looked on top of the warehouse, and saw a woman with even more White Fang members. She jumped down, and he knew who it was instantly.

"Cinder Fall. We meet again." Said Shade.

"Well, if it isn't Shade. How have you been?" asked Cinder.

"None of your goddamn business!" Yelled Shade.

"That's no way to talk to me now is it?" sadi Cinder.

Shade started to growl. He knew that he would need help soon. So he started the fight. He was right he needed help very soon, so Yatsuhashi, Pyrrha, Yang, Blake, Ren, Nora and Mercury came over to help. After Shade got a little help the odds were evened. Now he just had to wait for the other to get their opportunity. It didn't take long. After almost no time at all, Shade's other friends attacked, bringing the odds up even higher for them. However, the victory was short lived, as another group of reinforcements arrived. This one was led by a man with red and brown hair. Shade was fighting Roman at this point, and His friends were holding off Cinder and most of the White Fang members. When Shade saw the man he thought he knew who it was. Roman began running away towards an airship along with Cinder. Shade was too distracted by the new man to do anything about it.

"YOU! YOU BASTARD!" yelled Shade, sending chills towards everyone who heard him, except the man. The man saw his friends, and charged with his sword outstretched at the first one he saw, which happened to be the one that Shade as most worried about. His sword almost impaled Weiss, but only left her with a nasty gash on her side. This sent Shade into a frenzy. He charged at the man and slashed at him repeatedly, hitting him many times. Shade had gone ballistic. Blake looked over to Shade, seeing him fighting the man she knew was Adam. Shade was also clearing out the members of the White Fang. He was losing his mind. The demon had taken control. Pyrrha saw Weiss injured and Shade losing his mind, and knew she had to get everyone out of there as quickly as possible. She announced this to everyone and picked up Weiss after wrapping up her wound with one of the uniforms from one of the White Fang members. She carried Weiss back, and got everyone else to follow her. She just knew that she had to get everyone out of there as quickly as possible. Before everyone got out, Blake heard Shade call Adam by the name Daniel multiple times. She thought that the demon must be making him delusional, but then remembered that Shade said he didn't know a man named Adam from his time in the White Fang.

'What is going on here?' Blake asked herself.

After she and all her friends had gotten out of the danger area of Shade's anger. They called Ozpin for an airship as soon as possible to get Weiss back to the infirmary.

Back with Shade and Adam, it was just those two left. Neither of them were getting any hits on the other. Shade realized that he was getting tired, so he activated his semblance. It left an ice copy. When Adam hit it, his sword got stuck in the decoy. As he tried to pull it out he noticed a shadow moving under him.

'Is that what it does?' Adam asked himself.

Shade appeared behind him, and attacked him without mercy. After Adam managed to pull his sword free, he was close to losing. He knew that he couldn't win, so he ran off. He got away, and Shade calmed down. He remembered what happened to Weiss. He ran off to find his friends, deciding his girlfriend was more important that revenge. He found them, and they were loading Weiss onto an airship. He ran over to see if she was Ok. Apart from the gash, she seemed fine, and the doctors told him that it would only take a couple of days for her to recover enough to be on her feet again. After she woke up she could leave the hospital. He was Ok with that, as long as she was Ok.

Afterwards, more airships arrived and took everyone back to Beacon. The second that the airship got to the ground, Shade ran off towards the infirmary to see Weiss. When he got there, he saw that she had been patched up and was resting. He decided to stay there for as long as he could, as often as he could.

"It's all my fault. I wasn't good enough. I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry Weiss." Said Shade.

Shade stayed by Weiss' side for hours. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, but it was easily 5 hours. 2 hours ago his friends showed up. When they walked in, the first thing they saw was Shade crying by Weiss' bed. She was completely still. They couldn't decide if she looked peaceful or dead. Nora almost asked that out loud, but luckily Blake stopped her. She knew that wasn't a good idea to ask that in the situation they were in. Shade didn't acknowledge them entering. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was too focused on Weiss. He couldn't believe that she was hurt so badly. He had no idea what to do. This never happened with any of his previous girlfriends. She was fine until he started dating her. It was as if everyone knew what he was thinking, because they all started saying that it wasn't his fault in different sentences. It took a while, but they finally got through to him.

"Ok. You're right. It's not my fault. It's Daniel's." said Shade.

"Who is that?" asked Blake.

"The guy from the White Fang that I fought. The one who hurt Weiss. The guy with the red and brown hair. The one who I WILL end." Explained Shade.

"Really? I'm just asking because that guy had the same hairstyle and color as my friend from childhood. Adam remember?" asked Blake.

"What? I met Daniel in the White Fang. Do you think that Adam changed his name to Daniel for some reason?" asked Shade.

'I know that he did. So he could come after me under a different alias in hopes that he could get close to me.' Thought Blake. "It seems possible." Said Blake.

"Hmm. I wonder why?" asked Shade.

"No idea." Said Blake.

Everyone agreed with them. They had no idea either.

"Well. It's getting late. We should probably get some rest now." Said Ruby.

"Yeah. We should. Let's go Shade." said Yang.

"No." replied Shade.

"What?" asked Blake.

"I'm not heading back to the dorm. I'm staying here." Said Shade, showing no chance of being moved from his position at all.

"Alright then, but don't push yourself too hard Shade." Said Ruby.

"I won't. You don't need to worry about me. Just worry about yourselves. If you need me for something, let me know by coming here because I'm not leaving unless someone else stays so that someone is here when she wakes up Ok." said Shade.

"Of course. We'll leave you now." Said Yang.

"Yeah see you later." Said Velvet.

As they left the room Shade kissed Weiss on the cheek, and said good night, before falling asleep in the chair.

"Wow. He loves her a lot doesn't he?" asked Ruby, shocked.

"Sure seems that way." Said Velvet, somewhat sadly.

"You Ok Velvet?" asked Coco.

"Yeah I'm fine it's just, he knew that I liked him, but choosing Weiss over me means that I was his last choice." Said Velvet.

"Not entirely true." Said Blake.

"What do you mean?" asked Velvet.

"Well, he would only choose Blake and Weiss over you. He'd choose you over any other girls." Explained Coco, showing Velvet that she was only his third choice, not his last choice.

"I guess you're right. Thanks Coco." Said Velvet.

"No problem Velvet." Said Coco.

"Yeah. Don't feel so bad. We'll see you tomorrow Ok." Said Ruby.

After team CFVY broke of, team RWBY and JNPR went back to their dorms. When team RWBY got back, they were all tired.

"Is anybody else worried about Shade? I mean, he told us not to worry about him, but we know what his last hunt for revenge did to him. It created that monster, but who knows what this one will do to him." Said Yang.

"I know what you mean Yang. I mean, I'm worried about that, but who knows what his search for that Daniel guy will do to him. I could change him a lot." Said Ruby.

"Yeah, and even then, who knows where he is now? I mean, while we were dating, he told me some past stories that he didn't even tell you guys, and if you though that losing his family was the worst that happened to him, that is nowhere near the worst. Trust me." Said Blake, remembering the story about Brittany.

"Really. Wow. If that's true, than how much must he be bottling up inside. If it was me, than losing my family would send me into a deep depression for a long time, and even though it's been a while like that for Shade, he must be bottling something up." Said Ruby.

"Either that, or he's just so used to it by now that it doesn't affect him anymore." Said Yang.

"I guess, but we really should get to sleep. I get the feeling that tomorrow will be a long day without Shade around to make it go by quicker." Said Ruby, falling asleep.

The next day, Shade woke up around 6 am, and Weiss was still unconscious. Shade expected this. After about two hours, Ruby showed up with a breakfast for him. Pancakes, bacon and toast.

"Thanks Ruby." Said Shade, smiling quickly.

"No problem Shade. Can I ask you a couple things?" asked Ruby.

"Sure. What's up?" asked Shade.

"First, can you promise me that you won't let the search for Daniel or Adam or whoever he is control you?" asked Ruby.

"Ok. I promise. What else?" asked Shade.

"I'm worried about my relationship with Sun. If he shows up, can you let him know that I still love him?" asked Ruby.

"Of course. I take it you still haven't thought of a way to show him?" asked Shade.

"I have, but I don't know who to ask for help." Said Ruby.

"Alright. If I can help in anyway, just let me know." Said Shade.

"I will." Said Ruby. 'That might actually work.' Thought Ruby.

"Ok. Just let me know." Said Shade.

"Ok. See you later." Said Ruby, walking out.

"Later Ruby." Said Shade.

"I hope Weiss wakes up soon." Said Ruby, walking to find the rest of her team.

"Do you think that Shade is going to be Ok?" asked Yang.

"I know he will be, I think it's just a matter of how long it will take." Said Blake.

"I know Shade better than anyone here. I know for a fact that he will be Ok. The only thing that could make it worse is us worrying about him." Said Sun.

"Yeah. He'll be fine." Said Sarah. She had found out about Weiss in the cafeteria.

"I just went to see him, and he seemed to be Ok. Just a little hungry." Said Ruby, rejoining the group.

"Hey sweetie." Said Sun when he saw Ruby.

"Hey honey." Said Ruby, smiling widely.

"Wow. I am glad that I changed my mind about letting Sun date you Ruby. I don't think I've ever seen you so happy." Said Yang.

"Yeah. Even if it wasn't you entirely, I'm happy too." Said Ruby.

"What do you mean? Of course it was me alone. Unless you mean Shade's encore song in which case yeah I had some motivation." Said Yang.

"Yeah. I meant Shade's encore song." Said Ruby.

"Anyone want to go see Shade? I'm thinking of heading over there for a little while." Said Sarah.

"Yeah I'll go. I wanna see how my bandmate is doing." Said Sun.

"Ok, come on Sun. We'll be back soon." Said Sarah.

As they walked in, Shade was just sitting there, holding one of Weiss' hands. He was so upset about this whole situation, but he seemed to have come to terms with it.

"Hey man. You Ok?" asked Sun.

"Hmm. Oh yeah. I'm fine." Said Shade, unconvincingly.

"Are you sure?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah. How about you guys. You Ok?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, we're good." Said Sarah, but Sun didn't agree with her instantly.

"What's up Sun?" asked Shade.

"Um…well…It's Ruby. I'm worried that she may not like me anymore. She never shows it." Said Sun.

"What are you talking about Sun? She loves you. Maybe she just doesn't know how to show it. Just try to be more patient with her." Said Shade.

"Ok, maybe I was too quick to judge. I should be more patient. God, you're girlfriend gets stabbed, and you still help others with their relationships. You're a good guy Shade." said Sun.

"Yeah, I guess so." Said Shade.

"Well, we're going to head out. See you tomorrow." Said Sun.

"You'll probably see Weiss too. The doctors said that she should be out by tomorrow." Said Shade.

"Alright. We'll see you tomorrow too Weiss." Said Shade.

The group decided to go into town and head to the café.

"Wow. So Weiss will be up tomorrow then?" asked Ruby.

"According to the doctors, she should be fine." Said Sarah.

"Good. Shade should be fine tomorrow then." Said Ruby.

"Yeah." Said Pyrrha.

The group stayed at the café until they started to get tired. It was at this point that they went back to the airships and went back to beacon to get some rest. After getting back to their dorms, they went to sleep.

 **Whew. There's another Chapter done. I hope you enjoyed this one. I actually really enjoyed writing this one. Remember to leave a review if you did enjoy it or if you have any questions about the story as well as any suggestions for the story. Alright, well, then, here's where it ends. I hope I'll see you in the next chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Goodbye!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A very big hello to everyone here! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Review response time!**

 **V: DI would recommend "Payback by Slayer" (Be warned: VERY VIOLENT LYRICS!). Hope that helps and let me know the name of your story so I can read it and maybe leave a review of what I think.**

 **Cmech54: Thank you very much.**

 **Finally, I am over 20 favourites! Thank you all so very much for that! It means so much to me. It is what keeps me writing.**

 **But enough with the mushy stuff, I don't own RWBY, and let's start the chapter.**

Chapter 14: Replay?

The next morning, Ruby, Blake, and Yang all woke up at nearly the same time. They were debating whether or not to go see Weiss and Shade first or to go get breakfast first. They eventually decided that they should eat first. They didn't expect Weiss to be up anyways. On the way down, they bumped into team CRDL who was back from their mission.

"Hey guys! It has been too long." Said Yang.

"Oh hey Yang. Where are Weiss and Shade?" asked Cardin.

"They are in the infirmary. Weiss got hurt and Sade is staying with her." Explained Blake.

"Why isn't he with his girlfriend?" asked Russel.

"He is. You don't know yet, but me and Shade broke up two days ago. He's with Weiss now." Said Blake.

"So she finally got her wish granted huh?" asked Cardin with a chuckle.

This got a small laugh out of everyone there. After catching team CRDL up with the happenings while they were gone, they picked up team JNPR, team CFVY as well as Mercury, Sun and Sarah. When they got to the cafeteria, they made sure to get a plate for Shade and Weiss.

"So, Weiss is scheduled to wake up today right? Asked Sun.

"Yeah. We should probably be there when she does." Said Pyrrha.

"Good point. But what are we going to do about Roman, Cinder, this Adam or Daniel guy and the White Fang?" Asked Sky.

"Good question. The only one of us who knows anything about them is Shade, so I guess whatever he says. But we do need to strike back soon. They won't wait to attack us wherever we are. Hell they could be planning an attack here at Beacon for all we know." Said Yang.

"Unlikely. They are more likely waiting for an opportunity to attack when we are weakened." Said Blake.

"I guess…but wait…how would you know?" asked Nora.

"Well, they wouldn't be planning an attack here. Not only are there more hunters and huntresses in training to count, but there are also full-fledged hunters and huntresses. Even they aren't that stupid." Said Blake, covering up her mistake. 'That was too close.' Thought Blake.

After a long conversation about unimportant subjects they left for the infirmary. When they walked in, Shade was sound asleep in the chair he was sitting in. Weiss looked like she was starting to stir. After a few seconds of stirring, Weiss woke up from her unconscious state like she had just gone through hell and back.

"Ugh. What happened?" asked Weiss.

"Hey Weiss. Are you Ok? You took heavy damage from that attack." Said Yang.

"Um OK, but um…should I know you guys?" asked Weiss.

"What? Weiss, don't you remember us?" asked Ruby.

"Should I?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. We've been on a team here for months. Training to become huntresses." Explained Blake.

"Um. Ok." Said Weiss looking towards the chair Shade was. "Who is he? He's really cute." Said Weiss.

At this point Shade woke up just in time to hear that. "What did you say?" asked Shade.

"I asked who you were the said that you were really cute." Said Weiss.

"Don't you remember me?" asked Shade.

"No. I can't really remember anyone at this point." Said Weiss.

"Oh god. You have amnesia." Said Shade.

"Yeah. I guess I do Shade." said Weiss before realizing her mistake.

"What…were you faking amnesia to prank us?!" asked Shade, seemingly getting angry.

"Um…Yeah. I'm sorry, please don't hate me." Said Weiss worried that Shade was mad about her prank.

Shade simply stayed looking at Weiss angrily. Everyone was waiting for Shade's reaction. He started to chuckle. Then that chuckle became laughter, then it erupted into a laughing frenzy.

"Ok. You got me. That was the first time anyone has pranked me successfully. Well done, but I will get you back for that. Trust me." Said Shade.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Said Weiss.

"Anyways, now that's over." Said Shade getting up and walking over to Weiss. "So now I can do this." said Shade, leaning over Weiss and kissing her passionately.

"Get a room you two." Said Yang.

"Good god Yang. It was just a kiss!" said Weiss.

Shade simply shook his head at Yang with all his friends laughing at the battle of words between Yang and Weiss. After 3 minutes of arguing they finally agreed to agree to disagree. Sun then approached Shade.

"Hey man. Can I talk to you outside for a second?" asked Sun.

"Yeah sure. I'll be back in a sec guys." Said Shade.

Shade and Sun left the room.

"So what's up? IS this about Ruby?" asked Shade.

"No not at all. Ozpin just sent me a message. I want to know something." Said Sun showing Shade the message.

"Dear Sun,

Shade didn't respond to my message so can you please show him this. There is an upcoming assembly and I have received many requests from the students to have you and your band preform again. I know that your band only has one song and the assembly is soon. It will start in a couple days so I am asking a lot, but if you happen to have an idea for a song that you could finish quickly for a performance, I am sure the students would appreciate it. Just think about it.

Ozpin"

"So? What do you think? We do have that song, we just never released it. We could always do that at the assembly." Said Sun.

"I guess we could, but does Mercury know the beat?" asked Shade.

"Even if he doesn't, he learns quickly and it isn't really a hard beat so we can do it. I just wanted to confirm with you." Said Sun.

Shade looked like he was thinking. He then smiled and said "One…more…song!"

"That's the spirit! Let's let Ozpin know." Said Sun, typing out a message and sending it to Ozpin.

He soon got a response. It said that the assembly was tomorrow.

"Good thing Mercury learns fast." Said Sun.

"Why is that?" asked Mercury who left the room after hearing his name. Shade and Sun quickly explained what was happening before Mercury and Sun ran off to practice. Sarah also heard this, but vividly remembered her part meaning that she didn't need to practice.

Shade re-entered the room and everyone asked what was going on. Shade decided that it should be kept a secret. He managed to change the subject without anyone noticing. After talking for a while, they realized that they were still in the infirmary when they didn't need to. Weiss got up and they all left the infirmary. After that, they decided to go into town. They were planning on heading to the café so they went to the airships. On the way there, they noticed that Shade was singing a song that none of them recognized. They assumed that he just knew a song that they didn't. Sarah was the only one who knew for sure. After landing, they went to the café. Everyone sat down and got their usual drinks. As they were drinking, the group started questioning Shade about the White Fang.

"Do you know of any weaknesses? Anything that could help if we attempt a raid?" asked Yang.

"They aren't talented in one-on-one battles. They can't fight solo. If we could separate them from their group, they are practically useless, but their leaders have no weaknesses. If the grunts are around, focus on them. They try to wear you down so the leaders can finish you off. I was once a leader. Best assassin in the White Fang, so I had a good squad. They were pretty good, but I could take them easily. Watch out for the heavy group. They are trained to take a beating, and they can hit hard. They are slow though. If you meet heavy, try to stay on the attack. If they get the upper hand, create some separation. Don't let them get a fix on you, or you're done." Explained Shade.

"Ok. That's helpful to know. How will we know if it's a heavy?" asked Weiss.

"They typically carry very large and unconventional weapons." Said Shade.

"Good to know. So, just how difficult are the leaders?" asked Yang.

"Well, you've seen me fight. A couple of you have even fought me personally. I was once a leader. I wasn't the strongest or the weakest. A couple people you should watch out for. The guy I fought. He is one of the main assault leaders. He's fast and powerful, but I can take him. If you see him, don't try to fight him. He will end you. I can take him, but barely. There is one guy that is tall. Like 7 feet tall. He is fast. If you don't slow him down somehow, it will be over before you can blink. Finally, the leader of the heavy class, Felix. You will know him if you see him. He almost killed me when we decided to spar once. He hit me through two walls. This guy is no joke. Don't even think of fighting him alone, that's just asking for him to kill you. You should at least fight him with two-on-one. That gives you a chance. I would recommend three-on-one, but if you can't get a third, just go for a two-on-one assault. He is slow, so try to out-speed him." Explained Shade.

"Ok. Is there anything else we should know about the White Fang?" asked Blake.

"Nothing that I can think of yet, but if I do think of something, I will let you know." Said Shade finishing off his drink.

A few minutes later, everyone else had finished, they decided to go back to beacon. When they got to back to beacon, Shade went to see the progress that Sun and Mercury had made. He went to see them after telling his friends. When he arrived at their room with Sarah, he was pleased when Mercury and Sun were hitting all the notes perfectly.

"We're ready, aren't we?" asked Shade.

"Got that right. Time to release a new song." Said Sun.

"Hey Sarah? We may not have a use for Stephen anymore." Said Shade.

"Mercury is better than him. I think we should make it official, that is, if he wants to." Said Sarah.

"What do you mean?" asked Mercury.

"We want you to be the drummer for The Fighting Faunus." Said Shade.

"Really?!" asked Mercury, excited.

"Of course. You're better than our old one. So what do you say?" asked Shade.

"Hell yeah! I'm in!" said Mercury.

With that, Mercury was an official member of The Fighting Faunus. After a quick test of the song, they determined that they were ready for tomorrow, but they needed some sleep.

Shade went back to his room and all his roommates were already asleep. He got ready to go to sleep, and got into his bed. He looked at his girlfriend, asleep next to him, and smiled again. As he fell asleep, she wrapped her arms around him, and smiled. Shade smiled back and fell asleep, happy as can be.

The next day Shade woke up early because he needed to get ready for the assembly. He quickly got up and showered. When he exited the shower everyone was still asleep. He kissed Weiss goodbye and left a note saying that he left for the assembly early. He went to Sun's room to pick up Sun, Sarah and Mercury. They were already up and ready to go. They all left for the assembly. When they got there, Ozpin was waiting for them.

"I assume you're ready?" asked Ozpin.

"Yep. Whenever you need us, we're ready to go." Said Shade.

The four band members went backstage and got set up for the performance.

"Feels good to be preforming again huh?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Said Sun.

"Well. The assembly has almost started. You all ready?" asked Shade.

Getting a nod from everyone, he went and grabbed a mic. They weren't preforming until the end, but he just wanted to be ready.

Ozpin then went up to start the assembly. The assembly was uninteresting, but also very short. When Ozpin had finished, he was about to leave the stage, but decided to make the announcement himself.

"This assembly is almost over, but we do have one more segment. Ever since the singing contest, many of you have been asking for The Fighting Faunus to make another performance. After speaking to them yesterday, they have written a new song and have said that they will play it today. So, introducing once again, The Fighting Faunus!" said Ozpin.

The curtains opened to show Shade, Sun, Sarah and Mercury in their places, ready to start. They were all wearing the different band attire. They were all wearing black pants, but their tops were different. Shade was wearing no shirt. Sun wore a button up shirt, opened down the middle. Sarah wore a fighting Faunus shirt. Mercury was wearing a red shirt with "Never Stop Fighting" written on it in black. When they walked out onto the stage, the crowd almost exploded.

"That's what I like to hear!" Shade yelled into his mic. "Now, as Ozpin said, this is a brand new song. Never heard before, called "You're so Creepy" **(AN-actually by Ghost Town)**

 **(Words in brackets sung by Sun)**

 **For so long now I've been coming to your rescue (got me thinking I'll get you)  
And I'm serious when I say I'm over it  
I'm over it (and your fuckin' lies)**

 **That you'll stick around  
Stay on my side of town  
Now I'm covered in blood and I'm feeding off your pretty little lies**

 **For once why can't you just come and chase me  
Dig up my grave and save my body  
Now I'm rotting to the bone  
But my hearts still beatin'  
Hopin' you won't leave me**

 **Creepy girls  
You're just my style  
Blood-red lipstick  
You don't smile  
Falling victim to your fantasy  
Damn, I love it that you're so creepy  
**

The crowd was going ballistic. They were cheering so loud that they could barely hear the song.

 **Now you're risking it all  
For some creepy girl  
With a blacked out rage that'll cast a spell  
Don't tempt her—she's got those evil eyes**

 **Now you're risking it all  
For some pin-up doll  
Who drinks in the AM  
Fucks in the PM  
Treats all the boys like she don't need 'em**

 **Creepy girls  
You're just my style  
Blood-red lipstick  
You don't smile  
Falling victim to your fantasy  
Damn, I love it that you're so creepy**

When the guitar solo hit, Sun took center stage. He was having a great time. Shade had almost never seen him this happy. The only time he did was when he asked out Ruby and she said yes. ****

 _ **[2x]**_ **  
Creepy girls  
You're just my style  
Blood-red lipstick  
You don't smile  
Falling victim to your fantasy  
Damn, I love it that you're so creepy**

When the song ended, the crowd cheered so loud that they could have blown the roof off the school. Shade and his friends bowed and got off stage. After exiting the backstage area with their normal clothes on again, their friends all ran up to them.

"Is that what you guys were planning?" asked Weiss.

"You got me." Said Shade.

"So? What'd you think?" asked Mercury.

"That was one of the best songs I have ever heard! It was so cool! But, I do wonder why you're wearing that shirt." Said Yang, pointing to it.

"Well, Mercury is now the new drummer of The Fighting Faunus." Explained Shade.

"OH MY GOD! MY BOYFRIEND IS A ROCK STAR!" yelled Yang, more excited than anyone had ever seen her before.

"Woah! Yang, calm down a bit! Yeah he's a rock star, but it's not that big of a deal!" said Sarah.

Yang just ignored Sarah and ran over to Mercury, grabbed him and kissed him.

"Well then…She's happy." Said Shade.

"I'd say so. Mercury seems to be happy to." Said Blake.

"I noticed that Sun was also really happy when you guys hit the solo." Said Ruby.

"I was just happy that we were playing again. Even if only for tonight." Said Sun.

"That makes sense. I had a good time too. It was good to be behind the mic again." Said Shade.

They were walking around the school, trying to figure out what to do today.

"Why don't we all go out for dinner? All of us together? All of us are with someone after a-" Pyrrha cut herself off after realizing that Sarah and Blake didn't have a date.

"You can go without me. Don't let me hold you back." Said Sarah.

"No. You two have to come too." Said Shade.

"But who can they go with?" asked Yang.

Everyone was trying to figure out someone until they looked over to Cardin and his buddies. Cardin looked over at Shade and realized that he needed to step up.

"I'll go with Sarah. If she's Ok with that, of course." Said Cardin. "I'll go with Blake if it's just for tonight." Said Russel.

"Ok. Sure." Said Sarah.

"Of course" said Blake.

"So we got me and Weiss, Yang and Mercury, Ruby and Sun, Blake and Russel, Cardin and Sarah, Jaune and Pyrrha, and finally, Ren and Nora, right?" Asked Shade.

"Don't forget about us." Said Coco, walking over.

"Yeah, we're coming too. I'm going with Yatsuhashi and Coco is going with Fox." Said Velvet.

"SO we also got Yatsu and Velvet, as well as Coco and Fox." Said Shade

"Alright. That settles that. Where are we going to go?' asked Ruby.

"Hey Blake? Why don't we go to that place we went on our first date?" asked Shade.

"Works for me, but does everyone have some nice clothes?" asked Weiss.

Everyone said that they did except Sun.

"I think Ren has an extra suit. Maybe you can borrow his. It would probably fit." Said Shade.

"Of course he can." Said Ren.

"Thanks man." Said Sun.

"Should we wait in separate rooms too? Just for simplicity's sake?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. All the girls can hang in our dorm." Said Yang.

"Then all the guys can wait in our room." Said Jaune.

Everyone was ok with waiting in different rooms, so they went to the separate dorms after getting their suits. Shade wore the same one he wore on his date with Blake. All of them wore a black pair of pants except Fox, who wore a red pair. Ren and Russel wore green shirts, Jaune and Sun wore yellow ones, Cardin wore a blue one, Yatsu wore black, Fox wore red, much like Shade, and Mercury wore grey.

"Alright, so we're ready. How much longer we got?" asked Jaune.

"I just got text from Weiss saying that they were ready, so let's go." Said Shade.

They all left to pick up the girls. When they knocked on the door, the girls almost came running out. **(I'm too lazy to write out all of their dresses, so team RWBY, Pyrrha and Nora were wearing the dresses they wore to the dance, Sarah wore a white dress, Velvet and Coco wore brown ones).**

All the guys told their respective girl that they looked beautiful, and they all left for the airships.

"Tonight is going to be fun." Said Yang, to which everyone agreed.

'As long as the White Fang doesn't show up.' Thought Shade.

 **FORSHADOWING? Maybe. I'm not sure yet. But anyways, that was chapter 14 of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. I hope you have a great week and I'll see you next time. Goodbye.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello everybody! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Sorry for the long wait, but I have reasons. After a request from my friend, I am planning a new story for SAO, but I don't know if I should pair the OC with Asuna, Lisbeth, or Silica, so if you have an idea, let me know with a review because I honestly can't decide between them. College life has also been hell, as well as I had to write this 5 TIMES! I couldn't get it right, and this was the best copy. Now then, I have a couple of reviews to respond to!**

 **Cmech54: Thank you! It means a lot to me!**

 **Matrixmachine: Honestly, because that was who I thought would know the song.**

 **Anyways, I don't own RWBY, and let's start the chapter already.**

Chapter 15: How?

Shade and all his friends left the school and went into town. They were all so excited for their date. All the couples had their arms linked and were flirting. The only ones who didn't were the impromptu couples, Cardin and Sarah as well as Russel and Blake. Shade and Weiss were so happy to be together along with their friends.

"Hey Weiss." Said Shade.

"Yes sweetie?" replied Weiss.

"This isn't really what I had in mind for a first date." Said Shade.

"It's Ok. Any time I spend with you is perfect for me." Said Weiss.

"You are too sweet." Said Shade.

"You aren't the only one that can use corny lines." Said Weiss.

"True, but I didn't expect you to use any. You're just full of surprises aren't you?" asked Shade.

After they had landed, they went to the restaurant. The owner nearly stopped them, but when he saw Blake and Shade, he let them in, and once again, led them to a private table. Everyone sat down and ordered. The waiter took their orders, jotted them down on a pad and left to the kitchen.

"This is a really nice place. How can you guys afford this place?" asked Velvet.

"Very well-paid mercenary right here!" said Shade.

"Ok, but are you sure you can afford this place?" asked Velvet.

"Of course I can. Don't worry. It's all on me." Said Shade.

"Really? That's so nice." Said Ruby.

"That's just who he is. I should know." Said Sun.

"Yeah. Anyways, it looks like our food has arrived." Said Shade, gesturing to the food that was being placed in front of them.

"Yay!" said Ruby, hopping a little.

"Ruby, please calm down." Said Shade, shaking his head.

"Ok. But really, thanks Shade." said Ruby.

"No problem. Anyways, let's eat." Said Shade.

"Yeah." Said Blake.

After finishing eating, they all wanted to order dessert, but didn't want Shade to have to pay any extra. Shade could tell this, and told them that they could order dessert if they wanted.

"Are you sure it's Ok?" asked Ruby, still unsure.

"Of course. Order something." Said Shade.

After that, everyone ordered dessert except Shade. After everyone had finished the dessert, the waiter brought the bill. Shade looked at it, nodded as if he was expecting it, and handed the waiter his credit card. After a few minutes, the waiter came back, and handed the card back to Shade. He and his friends then left the restaurant. On their way back, Weiss began to wonder something about her new boyfriend.

'Hmm. He's always had that part of his hair covering that one part of his face. I wonder why.' Thought Weiss.

Shade then looked towards Weiss. It was as if he read her mind. "If you really want to know that bad, I'll tell you when we get back." Explained Shade.

Weiss simply nodded. She knew that he knew what she wanted to know. She was hoping that Shade would reveal it to everyone, but knew that Shade was secretive if nothing else. She knew that he wouldn't reveal his other eye in front of everyone else, so she just had to accept it.

After about an hour of walking and talking with each other, they reached the airships. Once Shade and Weiss got onto the airship, Shade whispered in her ear "Meet me on the roof".

"Ok." Weiss whispered back.

The others were wondering what they were whispering about, but they just assumed that it was secret because they were dating. The ride back to beacon seemed to be very quick for Shade because he was wondering how to explain what was going to happen with Weiss.

When they landed, Shade and Weiss left for the roof, but Ruby also asked to meet Shade in the training room when he was done with Weiss. He said Ok. Ruby went off to the training room, and Shade led Weiss to the roof. When they got there Shade's face took on a much more serious look. Weiss had never seen him this serious before.

"Before I reveal anything at all, I need you to promise me that what happens up here stays between us. Ok?" asked Shade.

"Of course." Replied Weiss, completely seriously.

"Alright, just please, don't freak out?' said Shade, questioningly.

"I promise I won't." said Weiss.

"Ok then." Said Shade, closing his eyes and brushing the hair out of his right eye.

Weiss looked at him, but the only thing she saw that was new was a long scar going from his forehead, across his eye down to the middle of his cheek, but she didn't understand why he would hide that from others. She had a scar too. So why?

"Why are you hiding a scar? I have one too, and there isn't really a need to hide it." Said Weiss, almost laughing.

"That isn't what I'm hiding. I would gladly show this side of my face if not for…this." Said Shade, almost whispering the last word.

Shade opened his eyes and looked at Weiss. She gasped and then realized why he never showed his other eye. Its color looked completely inverted. Where the eye was supposed to be white, it was black. It was still red, but instead of the pupil being black, it was white. His eyes looked like opposites.

Weiss remained silent. She didn't know how to respond to what she had just seen. Shade quickly covered his eye with his bangs again.

"That's why I hide it. This exact reaction is why I hide it." Said Shade, looking down at the ground.

"I can see why you kept it a secret." Said Weiss, after she had gotten over the shock.

"Yeah. I'll tell everyone eventually, but there are some people I trust more than others, so I'll tell them before the others." Said Shade.

"So you trust me more than anyone else?" asked Weiss, inferring that since she was the first one he told, she was the most trustworthy.

"Mostly, but also you were the first one to ask, and you're also my girlfriend. You deserve to know." Explained Shade.

After this Weiss went back to the dorm room, Shade went to the training room to meet Ruby. When he got there, Nora was also there. It looked like she was waiting for Shade as well.

"Oh! Hey Shade!" yelled Nora.

"Hey Ruby. Hey Nora. So why'd you call me here?" asked Shade.

"Well a couple reasons. First, I have an idea on how to counter you're semblance, but I need to know if I'm right. There is another reason, but I don't want to say that with Nora here." Said Ruby.

"Yeah. And I want to fight you Shade. See if I'm prepared yet." Said Nora.

"Alright, I should help Ruby first, because if she has it right and hits me while my semblance is active, I need to have a lot of it, or I will die." Said Shade.

"What?!" asked Ruby.

"Gotcha! I wouldn't die, but I would be in the infirmary for a while." Said Shade.

"You are mean." Said Ruby.

"I know, but let's go." Said Shade, meeting Ruby in the arena. He didn't draw his swords, because he didn't need to. All he needed to do was activate his semblance and wait.

He activated his semblance. Ruby then swung her scythe downward onto Shade's shadow. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. She tried over and over again, but never got a different result.

"I don't think you have it Ruby." Said Shade, deactivating his semblance.

"Darn. Alright. Nora. You're up." Said Ruby, upset.

This time, Shade drew his swords and put on a very serious face. Nora took out her hammer as well. They began the fight and it seemed that Shade would win, until, he made a mistake. Not knowing about Nora's semblance, he left a copy full of electricity dust. Nora hit it, and took the full force of the electrocution. Shade thought he had won, but Nora jumped behind him and hit him full strength with her hammer. Shade was sent across the room and into the wall. After falling off the wall, they saw that there was an imprint of Shade in it.

"Ugh. That hurt…" said Shade, standing up.

"Are you Ok Shade?" asked Nora, genuinely concerned.

"I'll be fine. Just need some rest." Said Shade.

"Ok. Well, I'll leave you two alone to talk." Said Nora, leaving the training room.

When Nora got back to her dorm, Weiss was waiting outside her dorm for Shade, so she thought nothing of it. She just told Weiss that Shade was going to be a little longer and that she should just get some sleep. Weiss agreed as she was getting tired herself, and went inside her dorm and to bed.

Back in the training room, Ruby was talking to Shade, but Shade knew from how she was acting that she wasn't saying what she wanted to.

"Ruby, just say it already. It's driving me up a wall." Said Shade, calling her out.

"It's that obvious?' asked Ruby.

"To me it is. What is it?" asked Shade back.

"Well…um…I want your help." Said Ruby.

"With what?" asked Shade.

"Um…well…you see. You know how I've never been in a relationship before right and that I had never had to kiss someone as a girlfriend before?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah of course. Why?" asked Shade.

Ruby then got nervous. "Well…you see…I was wondering if…maybe…you would consider…perhaps…training me?' asked Ruby, whispering her request, but Shade heard her.

"What do you mean?" asked Shade.

"I mean, will you teach me how to kiss?" asked Ruby.

"How?" asked Shade, still unsure.

"Well. What I was thinking is we could meet up in secret and-" she was cut off.

"I know what you're about to say. I only have one objection to it. What if Weiss or Sun finds us and gets the wrong idea?" asked Shade.

"Well then why don't we just finish it up now?" asked Ruby.

"Alright fine. If you're serious about it, I'll help. Just know that I don't like you like that. I am doing this as a friend and only a friend Ok?" asked Shade.

"Of course. So you'll help?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah. I'll help you out." Said Shade.

"Ok, so let me know what I need to improve on." Said Ruby, scooting over to Shade and planting a kiss on his lips.

"Alright." Said Shade as he began to tell her what she did well and what she needed to improve on.

It took them both into the morning, but Ruby was almost done.

"You've made considerable progress Ruby. You're a fast learner." Said Shade.

"Thank you Shade. I wouldn't have made it this far without you're help." Said Ruby.

"Alright you're almost done." Said Shade.

"Ok. Let's try this one last time." Said Ruby, leaning into Shade, and kissing him one last time.

Little did they know that they had an observer. Weiss had gotten worried when she woke up and neither Shade nor Ruby were there, nor in the cafeteria. She had gone to the training room to check if they were there. She almost wished that she hadn't found them.

'He never actually loved me. It was all just a lie. I can't believe I fell for his lies.' Thought Weiss beginning to cry.

'I wonder where Ruby is.' thought Sun as he walked by the training room. He saw Weiss and was about to ask her if she had seen Ruby, when he realized that she was crying.

"Whoa Weiss! Are you Ok?" asked Sun, worried about her.

Weiss was unable to stop crying, so Sun turned around to see what she was crying about and saw Shade kissing someone else, but didn't see who it was at first. He turned back to Weiss to console her until he saw an unmistakeable red cloak on the person that Shade was kissing.

'No…no, she wouldn't. She couldn't.' thought Sun, not wanting his worst fear to come true. However, his prayers went unanswered as Ruby pulled away from Shade and revealed that she was the one kissing Shade. He looked directly at Ruby and it only took her a total of two seconds to notice that he was there.

"Oh no." said Ruby, looking behind Shade. Shade didn't have time to turn around before he heard the door to the training room being kicked open. He turned to see a very angry Sun and an equally angry Weiss walk through the doorway.

"No wait! I swear this isn't what it looks like! I swear on the souls of my parents that this isn't what it looks like. Please believe me!" said Shade, instantly trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

"BULLSHIT IT ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! I THINK ITS PRETTY CLEAR WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE!" Yelled Sun, clearly pissed off beyond belief.

"No it isn't!" yelled Shade.

"Shade. I want you to listen to me right now. I never want to see your goddamn face again. Never in my life." Said Weiss, almost bursting into tears.

These words cut Shade deeper than he knew he could be cut. He wanted to cover for himself again, but couldn't find the words to. He knew that he would have to leave beacon now, but he needed to save Ruby's relationship, and he knew how to do it.

"Alright fine. I promise that you'll never see me again, but please, don't blame Ruby. It was all me. Hate me if you want to hate anyone, but don't punish her for my mistake." Said Shade, casting Ruby a glance that said "Just play along", so she did.

"You really are an asshole, you know that." Said Sun, but it looked like he had forgiven Ruby.

"Yes. I know. I'll just go. You'll never see me again." Said Shade.

Before anyone could say anything he was already out the door and on his way to get what little possessions he had from the room. When he got there, Blake and Yang asked him what was wrong.

"Just ask Ruby when she gets back. I'm leaving beacon for good." Said Shade, not even glancing at the girls as he grabbed what was his, and left the room quickly.

Shade then went to the rooms of team JNPR and CFVY and told them the same thing that he had told Blake and Yang. He then just left beacon academy, saying goodbye to all the friends he had made there and took an airship into town. Once the airship touched down he ran. He ran to where he had seen the White Fang before, completely prepared to fight them until his last breath. He knew that he couldn't take them all down, but he knew that he could bring their numbers down until the students at beacon went for an attack.

Meanwhile back at beacon.

"And that's what happened." Said Ruby as she finished telling Blake and Yang what had happened.

"Wow. Any idea why he took the whole blame?" asked Yang.

"I know why. He knew that they couldn't be angrier at him, so he took the whole blame so that they wouldn't be mad at Ruby." Explained Blake, sure of it.

"We need to clear this up. If I know Shade, he left and is probably going to do something crazy so the quicker we clear this up, the less time he'll have to do something crazy and get himself killed." Said Pyrrha, dead serious.

"Well then what are we standing around for?! Let's find Sun and Weiss and fix this!" yelled Velvet, worried about Shade.

It didn't take long. They knew that they were in the cafeteria, still steaming mad at Shade.

"I can't believe that guy. How could he just play Ruby like that? And even worse, he did it when he was still dating you! What an asshole…" said Sun, fuming.

"I know." Said Weiss, unable to believe that she had heard the whole story. She couldn't believe that he would do that. It was just so unlike him.

"Ok, guys. We need to talk…NOW!" yelled Yang, sending fear into everyone around her.

This was enough to scare Sun and Weiss into listening.

"I can't believe that you two would think so goddamn little of Shade! Even after swearing on the souls of his DEAD parents. You heard me! DEAD! He swore on their souls that he wasn't doing that, but neither of you even gave him a chance to explain. And you Weiss! You should feel worse than anyone else! Shade cared about you more than anyone else in the whole goddamn world! You were the whole reason for his existence. Now that you hate him, he's gone, and he's never coming back! Knowing him he's probably going to charge headlong into the White Fang base! You both know as well as I do that he can't take them all at once! And I already know what you're going to say. 'He said that if he has something to fight for he won't go down'. Well guess what?! HE DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO FIGHT FOR NOW! YOU BOTH CHANGED THAT WHEN YOU SAID THAT YOU HATE HIM! Now he's gone, and he has absolutely FUCKING NOTHING TO FIGHT FOR NOW! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" yelled Ruby, letting her anger out and sending everyone around her into a state of shock.

Weiss and Sun looked at each other. Ruby had never sworn before.

"If that's true, then what were you doing kissing?' asked Sun.

"I asked him to help me. You are my first boyfriend ever! I wanted our first kiss to be special, but I didn't know how to kiss. I asked him to teach me how to kiss so that I didn't embarrass myself when I did." Explained Ruby, sending Weiss and Sun into shack again.

"Oh god. What have we done…" asked Weiss.

"I don't know, but we need to go get him NOW!" said Sun, getting ready to go.

"Agreed. We'll apologize when we get him back, but there's no time to waste right now." Said Weiss making sure she had her weapon with her and leaving to get Shade back with everyone else. 'Please be soon enough…' thought Weiss.

Meanwhile with Shade.

"Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running." Shade said to himself as he went through the forest to get to the White Fang base. It took him hours but he finally got there. He wasted no time in charging in and attacking as many people as he could. He activated his semblance as many time as he could as often as he could to create a large cloud of smoke to run around in and take out as many people as possible. After only 1 minute he had taken out at least half the grunts there, and he wasn't even remotely tired yet. He kept fighting and taking out many people until Adam came up to him and attacked. Shade kept fighting while keeping an eye on the grunts. He then activated his semblance to try and trick Adam. Adam already had it figured out. He lined his shadow up with Shade's and swung at thin air. Shade appeared there and was sent backwards with a large gash on his chest. Adam knew he would finally be able to kill Shade. Shade wasn't planning on going down alone though. He knew that he couldn't use his semblance to fight.

It was at this point that all the grunts charged at once at Shade to wear him down quicker. Then the elite groups came out and attacked Shade, bringing him down faster. Shade knew that he could keep going for a few minutes, but not much longer. He broke out of the group and charged at Adam, catching him off guard and sinking a sword into his heart before removing it and stabbing him through the neck.

"I made a promise many years ago. I said that I WOULD end you. And I NEVER break a promise." Said Shade, watching the life drain from Adam's face.

When he was sure that he was gone, he turned his attention back to the grunts and elites. He charged back, knowing that he was going to die soon enough, but he wasn't going to just stop at Adam. He was going to do as much damage as possible. He was doing Ok, until Felix made his way through the crowd. Shade knew that he was about to die, but he could at least hurt Felix. Felix took out his weapon, a staff with the thickness of a tree trunk. Shade charged at him and swung his swords, but Felix grabbed one of his arms with his hand, threw him in the air and swung his staff at him. It hit him directly and you could hear the sound of ribs breaking. Felix then went after him and was about to kill him, but a voice spoke up.

"He's mine." Said a feminine voice.

 **Just warning you guys here, this part is going to get VERY graphic. You have been warned!**

Shade froze up at the sound of this voice, he recognized it. "No. No…i-it can't b-be." Said Shade as a girl that looked very similar to him strolled up to him.

"Well then. It's good to see you again." Said the woman, taking out her sword.

"How? How are you still alive?" asked Shade.

"Oh, you thought I died too? That's sweet." Said the girl.

"I grieved for years! I saw you die!" said Shade.

"I know. I was here the whole time. I saw you here, and you saw me. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed me before you left." Said the girl, laughing.

Shade tried to stand up, but the girl stabbed him in the leg.

"AHH!" yelled Shade.

"Oh how I wished to hear that sound. For so long. Shall we hear it again?" said the girl, stabbing his other leg while laughing.

The blood began to pour out of his legs, staining his pants with the red color of his blood.

"AHHHH!" yelled Shade again.

"Ah. So good. How about I tell you what happened. I think that you deserve to know before I kill you." Said the girl.

Shade didn't respond, partly from the pain, but partly because he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of breaking him.

"Well then. I'll tell you. I guess you have figured this out by now, but I set it up." Said the girl.

'What?' thought Shade.

"I initiated it. I'm surprised that you didn't know. I swung first." Said the girl, satisfied with herself.

She looked down at Shade and saw him struggling, so she stabbed him in the arm.

This time, Shade didn't cry out. He refused to give her the satisfaction.

"Aw. No scream this time?" asked the girl.

"You…won't…break…me…" said Shade, staring the girl down.

"Oh is that so? You don't see I already have." Said the girl.

"No you haven't. You may have broken my body, but you won't break my spirit. The only way you could would be if there was anyone who cared about me, and there isn't anyone." Said Shade, pleased with himself.

"Fine." Said the girl. She then stabbed him all up and down his arms and legs, causing the blood to pour out even faster. She then sank her blade into his stomach to watch him die.

"SHADE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" yelled a voice from the forest.

Shade instantly recognized it. "Weiss…" he whispered.

"Oh? It looks like there is someone who cares about you still. I will enjoy watching you suffer as you watch her die in front of you." Said the girl, taking a sadistic smile on her eyes.

"I FOUND SHADE!" yelled the girl to draw Weiss over.

"NO!" yelled Shade, but Weiss didn't hear his warning.

When she broke through the bushes she was instantly overtaken by the White Fang members.

"Please…no…kill me if you want…but don't hurt her…please…" said Shade, breaking into tears.

"Admit that we broke you." Said the girl.

"Never." Said Shade, determined to stay stubborn until, the very end.

"Fine then. Bring her over here." Commanded the girl.

The White Fang grunts brought her over to the girl. Weiss saw the state Shade was in, and burst into tears.

"Shade…What happened?" asked Weiss before the girl took her sword and stabbed Weiss in the arm.

"No! Please stop! You broke me! There I said it! YOU BROKE ME! Now please…stop hurting her…" said Shade, broken.

"Fine. Tie her up and make her watch." Said the girl.

The grunts tied her up and forced her to keep her eyes open and turned to Shade. She broke into tears as she saw the girl stab Shade again and again and she was powerless to do anything but watch. As the girl stabbed him repeatedly, Shade cried out in pain. He then blacked out from blood loss, but was still alive, even though just barely.

Well, looks like you're almost dead. Well then I guess I should say goodbye. Farewell." Said the girl, before the rest of Shade's friend's burst through the bushes and broke Weiss out before attacking the White Fang. Weiss immediately ran over to Shade and picked him up. Cardin came over and picked Shade up to take him back to the air ship that they had ordered to take him back to beacon. After Shade and Weiss were gone, they all left for the airship top get back to beacon before the White Fang could even comprehend what was happening. They were able to escape with the girl in custody after she was knocked out by Yang, so they threw her onto the airship and handcuffed her to a post.

 **Back with the group. Also end of graphic part.**

Shade was out cold on the stretcher, losing blood at an alarming rate. They had brought many rags to try and staunch the flow of blood, but they were soaked trough within seconds of pressing them to the wounds. Weiss was hysterical, crying so hard that she could barely breathe. Everyone was trying to calm her down, but there was no point. The second that the airship touched down at beacon, doctors rushed Shade to the infirmary and brought the girl to Ozpin. Weiss went with them, but wasn't allowed to see Shade until they were done with him. The doctors were in the room working on Shade, stitching up his wounds both inside and outside of his body, dabbing up the blood, and bandaging him up.

The doctor that took him in came out of the room 5 hours later. Weiss immediately got up and went to see the doctor.

"I assume you are his girlfriend?" asked the doctor. Weiss could only manage a nod.

Everyone else knew they had to ask for her. "We are his good friends, and it seems that his girlfriend is unable at the moment, so we will ask for her. What are the odds?" asked Sun, feeling guilty.

"I assume you are referring to his odds of survival?" asked the doctor, receiving a nod.

The doctor took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "They aren't good. We did all we could, but even with the best of luck the best odds I can give him are maybe a 10% chance of survival." Said the doctor, solemnly.

This only caused Weiss to cry harder. "I-I-I-Is t-t-t-t-there a-a-a-anything the-that c-c-c-c-c-could g-g-g-give h-h-him a b-better ch-ch-ch-chance?" asked Weiss, shakily.

"There is one thing. We could perform a surgery. It has a 25% chance of success, and if it is successful, it will double his chances, but if it fails it will halve them." Said the doctor.

"So a 25%-75% chance of 20% or 5% chance of survival." Said Sun.

"He can't choose if he wants the surgery, and since he has no next of kin, we must ask you Ms. Schnee. Would you like us to attempt the surgery?" asked the doctor.

"There is a chance that it could give him a better chance at survival?" asked Weiss.

"Yes, but only-" the doctor was cut off.

"Do it. If there is a slight chance that it could help him, then do it." Said Weiss, with minimal thought.

"Very well Ms. Schnee. We will begin immediately." Said the doctor, leaving.

 **3 hours of surgery later.**

The doctor walked back out, and Weiss got up to meet him. She looked at him with hopeful eyes. The doctor simply shook his head.

"The surgery was unsuccessful. I'm sorry." Said the doctor.

Weiss' heart sunk at these words. She had wanted to help his chances, but she had just made them worse.

"So it's only a 5% chance?" asked Sun, knowing the answer.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I wish I could bring you better news, but I must be honest." Explained the doctor.

"Can we see him?" asked Yang.

"If you want. He's in the third door on your right." Said the doctor.

"Thank you doctor." Said Velvet.

The group of friends all went to see Shade, but they weren't prepared for what they were about to see. Shade was hooked up to more machines than they cared to count. Weiss just looked at the scene and began yelling at Sun, saying that if he had just let Shade explain, he wouldn't be here.

"Excuse me? If I recall correctly, you're the one who said that you never wanted to see him again! You were the one who made him run! You're the one who told the doctor to go through with the surgery! I don't deny that I had a hand in it, but as I see it, if anyone is to blame for the state he's in, it's you!" yelled Sun.

Weiss wasn't able to take this. She fell on the ground crying. Ruby looked at her and then shot Sun a look of pure anger. She took Weiss back to the room to rest. Sun instantly regretted what he had said. He knew that it wasn't ok that he said that, he was just frustrated that his friend was in this state, but that didn't excuse what he had said. He went with Ruby so he could apologize to Weiss.

"He's gonna make it through this right?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah, of course he will." Said Yang, but even she wasn't sure.

They all decided that they couldn't continue to see their best friend like this, so they left.

 **Three weeks later. (So many time skips.)**

Weiss and the group were all going to see Shade again. They made a visit every day. They had left a notepad next to his bed in case anyone wanted to say something but wouldn't be there when he woke up. On the notepad were notes from Team CFVY, who needed to leave on a mission earlier in the week, Cardin, who went back to his family for a little while, and surprisingly, Weiss' Father, who had shown up a few days after the fight on a surprise visit. All the notes were along the lines of I hope you are Ok, get well soon, but Weiss' Father's said something else. Thanking him for sacrificing his morals to save his daughter, in clear reference to saying that he was broken to stop the attacks on Weiss.

Shade was scheduled to wake up last week, so they group had gone every day and stayed for 5 hours, but always left with nothing but disappointment.

When they arrived, they weren't even required to fill out a visitors form because they came every day for the same person.

They walked in the door, and almost had a heart attack. Shade was sitting up, but their dreams were crushed when they realized that a nurse was just holding him up to switch his pillow. When she let him go, he went back to the same prone position. They stayed there for the five hours, and still nothing. They left filled with disappointment once again. They needed to do something to take their minds off of Shade. They went to see the girl, who was locked up thanks to Ozpin, to see if they could get any information out of her, but they weren't able to. They left again and went back to their dorm to hang out with team JNPR. After hanging out until 10 at night they went back to their dorm to get some sleep. Team RWBY was about to fall asleep, until they heard a knock at their door.

"Who could that be?" asked Blake, getting out of bed to answer the door.

"Hello." Said Ozpin when the door was opened.

"Hello headmaster. What do you need?" asked Blake.

"Nothing. I have something that you might want to see." Said Ozpin.

"Alright what is it?" asked Blake.

Ozpin seemed to wave something over.

Blake was confused until she saw a pair of sneakers with ice blue flames designs on them. The next thing that she saw was a wheelchair wheel. She looked up and saw a pair of black pants, as well as a black shirt. She looked up more and saw something that she was worried that she may never see again. A face with one eye covered with black bangs. The eye that was visible was as red as fire.

"Wha- I-I-Is it possible?" asked Blake, not believing her eyes.

"You better believe it Blake." Said the voice. Thought the voice was raspy and dry, they whole team knew who it was. Ruby and Yang hopped down from their bunks, but due to Weiss' crying into her pillow she hadn't heard the voice.

The rest of the team almost jumped on Shade hugging him and just before they got Weiss, Shade stopped them. He rolled his wheelchair up to her and gently shook her shoulder.

Weiss looked up, but due to the lights being out, she didn't know who it was.

"Ruby is that you?" asked Weiss.

"Nope not me." Said Ruby.

"Yang?" asked Weiss, still not taking note of the ears on the shadows head.

"Still no." said Yang.

"Wait I see ears. Blake, what do you want?" asked Weiss.

"It's not me." Said Blake.

"Who else could it be?" asked Weiss.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" asked the voice, which caused Weiss' heart to skip a beat when she heard it.

"S-S-S-S-S-S-SHADE?! IS THAT REALLY YOU?!" asked Weiss hopefully.

Just then the lights were turned on revealing that Shade was there.

"Hey there beautiful." said Shade.

"Oh my god…it really is you…Shade…You're alive!" exclaimed Weiss, happy beyond belief.

"Gonna take a hell of a lot more than that to keep me down." Said Shade smiling.

Weiss jumped out of bed and hugged Shade kissing him repeatedly.

"As much as I missed the kisses, I heard that you took the girl that almost killed me into custody?" asked Shade making sure.

"Yes. We did." Said Yang.

"Is she harmed?" asked Shade.

"No she isn't Shade." said Ozpin.

"Good." Said Shade.

"What? Good? You don't want to see her dead in front of you? She almost killed you and you don't want her to be harmed in the slightest?" asked Weiss, dumbfounded.

"No. I don't want her to be harmed in any way." Said Shade.

"May I ask why?" asked Ruby.

"Even though she almost killed me," Shade began, "She is still my sister."

 **SO MUCH CLIFFHANGER! I hope. Anyways this chapter has been forming in my head pretty much since the start of the story. I decided to add it in now because the timing just seemed to be right to me. Anyways I hope you enjoyed, and remember to leave a review of what you though as well as who you want to be the love interest in my upcoming (Hopefully) SAO story. But for now, this chapter is over and I will see you in the next one. Goodbye, for now.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back once again with another Chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I have decided that I most want to pair my OC with Lisbeth or Silica in my upcoming SAO story, however if I get enough votes for Asuna, I will pick her. Now, I have a review!**

 **LordWinter13: Thank you very much. Good to know that you enjoy it! I also hope that it contributes to a growing popularity, but that's pretty much a given I guess.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, I don't own RWBY, and let's start the chapter.**

Chapter 16: Family and The Past.

The entirety of team RWBY could only stare at Shade in shock of what they had just heard. Earlier, Shade had told them that his sister had died back when his parents were killed, but he had just said that the girl who almost killed him was his sister.

"Ok, Question!" said Ruby.

"I already know what you're going to ask. How is my sister still alive, right? To which I can only reply, I have no idea. I had thought she was dead, but as it turns out, she wasn't. It also seems that she was the one who organized the attack on my parents, and is responsible for their death, and I want the story." Explained Shade.

"The best way to get that would be to get it from her, but I am afraid she has retired for the night. You should wait until tomorrow." Explained Ozpin.

"Alright. I guess I should get some sleep." Said Shade rolling his wheelchair over to his bed, climbing out of it and into his bed.

"Wait, before you go to sleep, why are you in a wheelchair?" asked Weiss.

"Oh right. It's just a precaution." Said Shade.

"Precaution for what?" asked Blake.

"The doctor suggested that I try to stay off my feet for a few days to give my legs some time to recover as they took the most damage. Goodnight." Explained Shade, going to sleep.

"Alright then. Good night." Said Yang, getting into her bed.

Everyone then thanked Ozpin for bringing Shade straight there when he woke up, and got into bed and fell asleep.

Before Weiss fell asleep, she looked over to Shade, and smiled.

'Thank god he's Ok. I thought that he may not make it, but it seems I don't need to worry about that anymore.' Weiss thought before going to sleep.

The next day, they all woke up and got ready, Shade getting a little help from Weiss with putting his clothes on due to him being incapacitated for a few days. They decided that they should get breakfast before going to pay a visit to Shade's sister.

"Let's go then." Said Shade, leading the group.

They almost entered the cafeteria when Yang stopped them.

"Hey, let's prank the others. Shade, you stay out here until we wave you in Ok?" said Yang.

"Got it." Said Shade, waiting.

"Let's go." Said Ruby, dropping the smile.

When they walked in, everyone else was worried because they didn't see Shade in the infirmary when they went, but Shade wasn't there. Team RWBY pretended to be worried, but quickly gave it up when they thought that the others had enough. They waved Shade in, and Velvet ran over and almost tackled him out of the wheelchair. Luckily, Fox caught him in time.

"Thanks man." Said Shade after being straightened out. Fox simply nodded.

Shade rolled up to the table and the second he got there, he was bombarded with the same questions that he was asked the night before, and answered them the same way.

"Ok, so she's your sister, and yet she tried to kill you?" asked Jaune, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, that's basically the long and short of it." Answered Shade.

"Ok then, that's unexpected to say the least." Said Mercury.

"Yeah. By the way Shade, while you were out, a couple things happened. First, Weiss got message from her father that someone was coming to see her, but he wouldn't tell her who, but the person should be showing up later today. We also wrote up a few more beats for the band, but we didn't have you, so we want some help writing the lyrics. Could you come by the dorm after your meeting with family?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah sure. I'm sure that we could come up with something good." Said Shade.

"Ok. Well we should get going then. We're all done, and I want to see this girl." Said Yang.

"Right. Just to be clear, NO harm is to come to her, alright?" asked Shade, making them promise.

They all agreed, and then he and his friends left to meet his sister.

They got to Ozpin's office soon and asked to see her. Ozpin led them to the room they were keeping her in. He opened the door, and Shade saw his sister, completely fine, with no marks at all. He entered first, followed quickly by his friends.

"Hello Shade. Good to see you, I guess." Said his sister.

"Come on Neo, we are still brother and sister after all." Said Shade.

"Yeah so? What's your point?" asked Neo.

"So there's no need for you to mouth off. But I guess that's been your main talent since birth." Said Shade.

"Ha Ha Ha, very funny." Said Neo, sarcastically.

"There's the sarcasm. Now I want to know a few things." Said Shade.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" asked Neo.

"A couple things. First, how did you get into the White Fang? You are a human after all." Said Shade.

"I only entered at the beginning to help you. I wanted you to have equality. But after you left, they wanted me to help track you down, and kill you. I agreed because I was mad that you would give up so easily." Explained Neo.

"I see. Now-" Shade was interrupted.

"Wait a sec…You're Weiss Schnee aren't you?" asked Neo.

"Yes I am. Why?' asked Weiss.

"Your family is the cause of the Faunus being mistreated! Why the hell are you here you bitch?!" yelled Neo.

Weiss got mad at that remark and took out her sword. She almost stabbed Neo with it, until her sword was knocked out of her hands and landed on the other side of the room. Weiss looked at what had disarmed her, to see Shade with one of his swords drawn.

"I said, NO harm is to come to her." Said Shade, glaring at Weiss.

"Fine. I'll overlook it this time." Said Weiss.

"Now Neo, if you must know, me and Weiss are dating. You're probably confused about that, but Weiss and her family are actually not terrible people. They are actually nice, you just need to give them a chance." Said Shade.

"Fine then. I guess I could give them a chance. I won't like it, but I will." Said Neo, reluctantly.

"Good. Now my last question, why? Why did you hire that bandit to kill our family?" asked Shade.

"I was mad. You know how I had a crush on that guy that lived next to us right?" asked Neo.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with it?" asked Shade, confused.

"Well you see. One night I had invited him over, but mom and dad didn't approve of him. They got mad when I said I wanted to be with him and that nothing was going to stop me from being with him. When I said that, dad got madder and forced him out of the house. A few days later, he was found dead in his room. It was only until later I found out that d was the one who killed him. I also found out that it was mom's idea. That is why I did it." Said Neo.

"What? Oh my god. Well, I don't feel bad for them anymore. But I do want to know something else, where is that sword of yours? All I can see is that umbrella." Said Shade.

Neo got up and grabbed her umbrella. His friends almost stopped her, but Shade told them to wait. Neo then pulled the sword out of the umbrella, before putting it back again.

"Ok. That clears it up. You can let her go now." Said Shade.

"What?" asked his friends.

"Wha…" was all his sister said.

"I said you can let her go now. I know all I want to know, so I don't see a need to keep her here any longer." Said Shade.

"Actually, I have another idea. I would like to invite Neo to stay here, at beacon academy." Said Ozpin.

Neo's eyes brightened up at that. She was just as confused as Shade was when he was invited, and even asked the same question. Ozpin simply smiled and said that since she had brought Shade to the brink of death, she was clearly qualified to enroll at beacon.

Ozpin then handed her a scroll and added her as an extra member of team JNPR. Neo gladly accepted and asked where that room was.

"We can take you there!" said Ruby, much like how she had said it to Shade when he first showed up.

"Alright then. Let's go!" said Neo, getting up and following Shade and Team RWBY.

"So I need to ask. How is it that Shade is a faunus and you aren't Neo?" asked Blake.

"Well our dad was a wolf faunus while our mom was a human." Said Neo.

"Ah. That makes sense." Said Blake.

They had met up with the members of Team CRDL minus Cardin who wasn't there yet. When Russel saw Neo, he began to flirt with her, but Neo shot him down instantly.

"Aw man. Why?" asked Russel.

"I know why. But I won't say unless you are ok with them knowing. I found it out when he was flirting with you, or at least, I think I did." Said Shade.

"Well then, you can tell him." Said Neo.

"OK then. I guess it is better to get it out there early. So Russel…it's because…how to put it…I guess…she doesn't exactly…go that way." Said Shade, putting it as delicately as possible.

"In other words, I'm a lesbian." Said Neo, putting it bluntly.

"Well then, this is embarrassing." Said Russel.

"Let's just forget it happened. Nice to meet you Russel, my name is Neo, and I'm Shade's sister." Said Neo, holding her hand out for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you Neo." Said Russel, shaking her hand.

The group then started to go towards team JNPR's room, and when they got there, they knocked. Pyrrha came to the door.

"Hello. Wait a minute, is that your sister Shade?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yes, and now she is also your new teammate. These guys can explain it, but I need to get going. Have a good time!" called Shade as he left for Sun's room.

Shade arrived at Sun's room and knocked on the door. Sun let Shade in and Shade noticed that all his fellow band members ready to start playing.

"Alright. So you're ready to start?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. Are you ready?" asked Mercury.

"Yeah. Whenever you're ready, go ahead." Said Shade, sitting down.

Sun, Sarah and Mercury begin playing the beats they made, and Shade started thinking of lyrics to write for each. As they were playing, Shade got ideas for a few different subjects to base a song off.

"Good job guys. I think I got something for them." Said Shade, taking out a few pieces of paper and he began writing lyrics on them. As he wrote he looked more focused on it then he had ever been before. When he finished he showed his bandmates, and they were happy with the lyrics.

"These look pretty good. You wanna try them out?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. Let's try this out." Said Sun.

"OK, whenever you're ready." Said Shade.

The band began playing the first song and Shade began singing the lyrics he wrote. As they went on, they tweaked the song slightly so that it still sounded great, but fit the lyrics better. After a few playthroughs of the songs, they finished them perfectly.

"Good job guys. I think these songs are pretty good. You think we could play them sometime?" asked Shade.

"I don't know, but I definitely want to." said Sun.

"I can help with that." Said a voice as it entered the room.

"Oh Ozpin. How are you?" asked Shade.

"I am good. I happened to overhear that you were writing a couple of new songs, and were looking for a good time to play them." Said Ozpin.

"Yes we were. Do you have an idea?' asked Shade.

"Yes. I heard some of the students talking about a battle of bands going on in town in a few days. You should be out of the wheelchair by then, which means that you could probably participate." Said Ozpin.

"You guys in?" asked Shade. His bandmates instantly agreed.

"Alright then. We'll need to go into town and register." Said Shade, about to leave the room.

"No, that won't be necessary. I can enter you from here. No need to exert yourself for no reason." Said Ozpin.

"Thank you Ozpin." Said Shade.

"No need for thanks. Just get better soon." Said Ozpin.

Shade said goodbye to Sun and his other bandmates to go see if Neo had settled in yet. When he arrived in the room he knocked.

"Oh hey Shade. Why are you here? Didn't you get Weiss' message?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Weiss sent me a message?" he asked taking out his scroll. Sure enough there was a message from Weiss. He opened it and it said to come out to the courtyard and that she was waiting with someone who wanted to meet him as well.

"Yeah I should get going, but how is Neo?" asked Shade.

"Oh she is actually quite kind. Even though she did try to kill you." Said Pyrrha jokingly.

"Come on! I thought we were past that!" shouted Neo from inside.

"Come on, it was just a joke." Said Pyrrha.

"Fine." Said Neo, pouting.

"Alright. By the way, in a couple days me and my band are going to perform in a battle of the bands in town. Hope you'll show up." Said Shade before walking off.

"Definitely. We'll let everyone else know as well." Said Pyrrha, closing the door as Shade walked away.

Shade then began his walk towards the courtyard. It was quite a ways away from where he was, and an even harder one considering he was in a wheelchair.

 **With Weiss in the courtyard before meeting her visitor.**

'I wonder who it could be?' Weiss asked herself.

She had thought it could be her father, but that didn't make much sense considering he was there not long ago, and that he had sent the message. Maybe it was her mom, but then she would have just sent a message herself. She then thought it was a friend form her childhood, but realized that was unlikely considering she didn't have many. She was at a loss as to who it could be, until the person walked into the courtyard. She was taller than Weiss, but had the same hair color. She looked a few years older than Weiss, but other than that, they looked really similar.

"Ah, hello Weiss." Said the girl.

"Winter!" yelled Weiss before running up to her and hugging her.

Winter quickly returned the hug. "Hello little sis. It has been a long time hasn't it?" asked Winter.

"Yeah! So why are you here?" asked Weiss happily.

"A couple of reasons. First I wanted to see you. I also wanted to meet your teammates, and lastly, I heard from father that you now have a boyfriend, and I wanted to meet him." Said Winter.

"Of course that's why you came." Said Weiss, rolling her eyes.

"Well it's only natural. I heard that you were very happy to be with him, and that he had sacrificed morals or something to keep you safe, even though you weren't together at the point." Said Winter.

"Father really told you everything, didn't he?" asked Weiss.

"Well, I had asked him for everything." Explained Winter.

"I guess that makes sense. So do you want to meet him alone, or with the rest of my team? He is on it after all." Said Weiss.

"I would prefer to meet him here personally." Said Winter.

"Alright. He's with his band right now, so we may be waiting for a little while." Said Weiss, sending him a message.

"He's in a band?" asked Winter.

"Yeah. He's also a faunus." Said Weiss.

"Oh. So you're in a relationship with a faunus?" Said Winter.

"Yeah, but he is so nice. I really love him." Replied Weiss.

"I see. What kind of faunus is he?" asked Winter, genuinely curious.

"He's a wolf faunus." Said Weiss, confused as to why she was asking all these questions.

"I see." Said Winter, thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Weiss.

"Just trying to picture him. What color is his hair?" asked Winter.

"Black. It's pretty long for a boy's hair, and his bangs cover one of his eyes, and I am just going to say that there is a reason for it, so don't question it." Said Weiss.

"I see. What color are his eyes?" asked Winter, trying to get a clear picture of him in her head.

"Red. They almost look like they are on fire. I can't even tell you how many times I've gotten lost in them." Said Weiss, thinking about Shade.

"I see. I almost forgot something! What's his name?" asked Winter.

"Well, he goes by Shade." said Weiss.

"Shade huh? That's a strange name." said Winter.

"It's not actually his name. He just goes by it. He doesn't like being called by his real name, so we just call him by his nickname." Said Weiss.

"I see. Do you know why?" asked Winter.

"Well, he told me that it was because he didn't want us to treat him differently because he was in a band before coming here." Said Weiss.

"Oh. So he didn't want any special treatment when he came here." Said Winter.

"Yeah. He is a really good singer." Said Weiss.

"Really? How good?" asked Winter.

"Hang on. We had a singing contest not that long ago, and I managed to get the audio of his song, but I couldn't get him in it." Said Weiss.

Weiss searched through her scroll and found his performance. She clicked on it and pressed play. Winter leaned in to hear it better. The song started playing. Winter was listening intently. When the song ended, Winter pulled away.

"See? I told you." Said Weiss.

"I do have to agree. He singing voice is quite exquisite. I will say, if he looks as good as his voice sounds, I can see why you fell for him." Said Winter.

"He looks better than his voice sounds." Said Weiss.

"Oh really. You may have some competition Weiss." Said Winter, smiling.

"No, you can't have him!" said Weiss angrily.

"That's not what I meant. I meant that someone else probably likes him." Said Winter.

"Well about that. Someone else does like him. A bunny faunus by the name of Velvet." Said Weiss.

"Oh really? Another faunus likes him. Did he know about Velvet when he started dating you?" asked Winter.

"Yes he did." Said Weiss. This shocked Winter.

"He knew that another one of his species liked him, but he chose you first? Regardless of our name?" asked Winter, baffled.

"Yeah. I was almost as shocked as you are when he said that he liked me too." Said Weiss.

"Anyways, he should be getting here soon right?" asked Winter.

"Yeah. Any minute now. He is in a wheelchair so it might be a little while." Said Weiss.

"May I ask why he is in a wheelchair?" asked Winter.

"I'm sure he'll explain it when he gets here." Said Weiss.

"Does it have something to do with the morals thing?" asked Winter.

"You could say that." Said Weiss.

 **With Shade**

"God those stairs would've been a nightmare without your help. Thanks Yang." Said Shade waving to Yang.

"No problem." Said Yang.

"Well if you need my help with anything let me know. And I do mean ANYTHING!" said Shade.

"Yeah I know. If I need someone killed, I'll come to you first." Said Yang.

"Well I would. I've done it before." Said Shade, rolling himself towards that courtyard. When he got there he saw Weiss. He was going over to see who she was with, but when he saw her, he immediately hid behind a tree.

"What is she doing here?!" shade asked himself, whispering. "Oh, this is bad."

"Hmm." Winter said.

"What?" asked Weiss.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I heard something." Said Winter.

"Oh ok." Said Weiss, before turning to talk to Winter again.

Shade sighed lightly, not wanting to alert them to his presence. He peeked around the tree he was behind. They weren't looking over towards him. Maybe he could sneak out. However, the second he moved his wheelchair, he snapped a twig. He froze. Still behind the tree, he stayed perfectly still, even holding his breath. He heard whispering, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The he heard Weiss say "Maybe he didn't get my message. He could still be with the rest of my team. Maybe we should go there."

"Alright. I was hoping to see him with just you, but let's go." Said Winter.

Shade breathed a sigh of relief. He looked out from behind his hiding place and sighed. They were gone. He leaned back in his chair. He tuned his chair around and found himself looking directly into the eyes of his girlfriend.

"AH!" yelled Shade, almost falling out of his chair, but steadying himself quickly.

"Hello Shade!" said Weiss, kissing him.

"You…scared...me…half…to…death." said Shade, taking a breath between words.

"Anyways. I found out who was coming to see me. It was my sister Winter." Said Weiss, moving to the side and revealing the girl behind her. Shade immediately tensed up, but Weiss didn't notice.

"Nice to meet you, Winter." Said Shade, trying not to let his nervousness be seen.

"Well, Weiss, I have good news and bad news." Said Winter.

"What do you mean?" asked Weiss.

"The good news is that I don't want to take him from you." Said Winter.

"Ok. What's the bad news?" asked Weiss.

"That bad news is that I have to do this." Said Winter, walking up to Shade and slapping him across the face, hard.

"Ok. I deserved that. But did you have to do that in front of her?!" said Shade.

"You lied to me! What else was I supposed to do?!" asked Winter.

"You lied to me too! You never told me your real name now did you Tiffany?" asked Shade.

Weiss was beyond confused. For many reasons. Why did Shade call her sister Tiffany? Why did her sister slap Shade? How do they know each other?

"You lied first!" said Winter.

"No I didn't! You lied about your name! You lied first!" replied Shade.

Winter looked down at Shade's hand. This seemed to spark new anger in her.

"You took it off too?!" yelled Winter.

"That wasn't the deal! I just had to keep it WITH me! Not ON me!" said Shade.

"Why did you take it off?!" asked Winter.

"Think about this for a second! What if I had met another girl afterwards? What would she think if I was wearing it?" said Shade.

"Still! You could've explained it to a girl!" Yelled Winter.

"You don't think I tried that?! I did! MANY TIMES! IT NEVER WORKED!" Shade yelled back, managing to keep the monster under control.

Weiss was just looking back and forth between them as they argued, unable to find a point to interject.

"I made a promise! I never broke a promise before the day I took it off! It was hard to do that, but I had to! I was being exiled from society about it! I still have it with me. I never got rid of it." Said Shade, beginning to calm down.

"What?" asked Winter, calming down as well.

"I still have it. It's in my backpack back in the dorm. I can go get it if you want." Said Shade, eager to get out of this awkward situation as quickly as possible.

"No. Not yet at least. We should probably explain this to Weiss first." Said Winter, gesturing to her sister.

"Ah. Right. Good idea." Said Shade, turning himself to Weiss.

Weiss realized that they were waiting for questions.

"I only have a few. How do you two know each other? Why did you call my sister Tiffany? Why did you slap him unprovoked?" asked Weiss.

"Alright. Well you see…we actually met before this." Said Shade. Winter agreed.

"You did?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. See I grew up in Atlas. That was where we met." Said Shade.

"We met on the day that father and I went to the police station to investigate that murder. Shade's family was the family. Shade was there and while father was speaking to the officers, I met Shade. When he introduced himself, I noticed that he was a faunus. I didn't want him to know that I was a Schnee, so I introduced myself as Tiffany Smith." Said Winter.

"Ok. That answers two questions, but why did you slap Shade?" asked Weiss.

"Well, you know how I was gone every day after that for a few hours? I said that I was meeting friends?" asked Winter.

"Yeah, I remember that somewhat." Said Weiss.

"Well, I was actually meeting up with my boyfriend." Said Winter.

"You had a boyfriend? Who was it? What was his name? What did he look like?" Weiss blurted out questions.

"Um…does she really not notice this yet?" asked Winter.

"Just give it a little." Said Shade, beginning to count down from five.

When he finished, Weiss had a realization. "Wait a second. Your boyfriend was Shade?!" Asked Weiss, beyond surprised.

"There we go. Yeah. We were together." Said Shade.

"Until he abandoned me!" yelled Winter.

"We've been over this! I had no choice! They would've come for you if I stayed!" said Shade.

"I told you that I would come with you." Said Winter.

"I also told you that if you came, not only would your family be worried out of their minds, but it would be even more likely that your life would be put in danger." said Shade.

"I said that I didn't care about that. I said that I wanted to be with you forever." Said Winter.

"I said that you would be with me. I said I would always carry you in my heart, didn't I? I said I would never forget you, right?" asked Shade.

"Well yeah, you said that, but that didn't save me from years of loneliness." Said Winter.

"You could've just gotten another boyfriend." Said Shade, but Winter seemed offended.

"What? No I couldn't! I couldn't get over you that easily!" said Winter.

"Excuse me, but we seem to have gotten off topic." Interrupted Weiss.

"Oh right. Well basically, we had been together for a year or so, but I had to leave so that if the man who killed my parents came back for me, Winter wouldn't be put in danger. It took a lot of convincing, promising and…other…things, but she eventually let me leave. She also gave me a ring. That ring was meant to symbolize our promise. The promise that we would meet again when the man was captured or killed. She told me to keep it with me at all times, no matter where I was. I kept it with me, every day, it was on my ring finger. It was there until girls started thinking that I was married, even though I wasn't even a teenager yet. That caused me to be an outcast. It became so bad that I couldn't even be seen in public. After I had taken care of business, I went to where me and Winter had always met before, and waited. I realized that no one had heard about it yet. I stayed at that place for almost a week, but Winter never showed up. I assumed that she hadn't heard about it yet, so I went to where she said her house was. I looked all over for it, but when I got to where she said it was, all I had seen were the smoking remains of a house. You can imagine what my first thoughts were. I left Atlas and went to Mistral. When I got there, I took off the ring. I was about to throw it off the boat I was on, but I couldn't. It was my only memory of her, so I just put it in my backpack. It's still there to this day." Said Shade, finishing his side of the story.

"As for me, I heard about it two weeks after the man was killed, I guess by Shade. The second I found out about it, I went to where we would meet. I went there every day for a month, but he never showed up. I thought that he had betrayed me, so when I saw him here, it reminded me of all the rage I held for him, so I slapped him." Explained Winter.

Weiss was just shocked at the story. She now understood why Shade had his from her sister, why her sister had slapped him, why he had called her Tiffany and everything.

"Wow. That's quite a lot to take in." said Weiss.

"I suppose so. By the way Shade, I'm sorry I slapped you. I was just mad." Said Winter, apologetically.

"It's fine, but damn you hit hard!" said Shade, jokingly.

"Still as much of a jokester as ever I see." Said Winter, rolling her eyes.

"You expected anything less?" asked Shade.

"Well played Shade, or should I just call you James?" asked Winter.

"Shade is fine." Said Shade.

"Alright then Shade, but your hair does look different. Why do you cover that eye? You never did that before." Asked Winter.

"Well, I'm planning on telling the team that, so why don't we take care of that now?" asked Shade, looking at Weiss.

"Are you sure? I mean, do you trust them enough?" asked Weiss.

"I trust them more than I trust myself at times." Said Shade.

"Alright then. Let's go." Said Weiss leading the way.

"Yeah come on T-Winter." Said Shade, catching himself.

"You can call me Tiffany if you want to…Wolfy." Said Winter, calling Shade by his nickname.

Weiss got worried, knowing that Shade hated it when Yang called him that. Shade simply laughed.

"That's why I didn't want Yang to call me Wolfy. It's her nickname for me, not Yang's." said Shade.

"Oh, I see." Said Weiss, understanding.

 **Well there we go. One more chapter down, who knows how many more to go. Remember to leave a review of what you thought, as well as your choice for the love interest in my upcoming SAO story. But for now, I hope I will see you in the next chapter everybody. Goodbye, for now!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I just CANNOT STOP WRITNG recently. I guess you can just consider this compensation for not updating for a while. I am still trying to decide who will be the love interest in my upcoming SAO story, so remember to leave your choice about that. Also, before I forget, check out "Blood of Grimm" by Valkerix. It's a great story and is really well written. Now, to the reviews!**

 **Writen: First off, I know Neo is mute in the actual show, but I said at the beginning that this story may not follow the actual story in the show. Second, I also know that, but there is something coming up in a later chapter. That's all I will say about that. Thirdly, that will be answered early in this chapter. Lastly, I KNOW! I GET THE POINT! NO MAN COULD BE THAT ATTRACTIVE! However, I just did this because I thought that it would be a good way to bring in something later. I never write anything this big without a purpose. I just ask that you are patient with me. Like I said, this is my first story. I have no previous writing experience. I realize that Shade is the ultimate lady-killer, but there is a reason. Trust me.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, I don't own RWBY, and let's get this chapter started.**

Chapter 17: Past Trauma Revealed

As Winter and Weiss walked through the halls with Shade rolling alongside them, until Weiss asked Winter a question.

"Hey Winter?" asked Weiss.

"Yes Weiss?" asked Winter back.

"I just want to know. Why did you keep your relationship with Shade a secret from me. I can understand why you didn't tell father, but why couldn't you tell me?" asked Weiss.

"Well, think about it from my standpoint. On the one hand, you are my sister, and I can share almost anything with you. However, you were also adamant about your hatred of the faunus back then. Your reaction to finding out that your sister was dating a faunus would've been…?" said Winter, waiting for Weiss to finish the sentence for her.

"To tell father immediately. That would cause him to start a manhunt that wouldn't stop until Shade was dead. I get it now." Sadi Weiss.

"Exactly. Now can you see why I didn't tell you?" asked Winter.

"Of course. It makes perfect sense." Said Weiss.

"I agree. It was probably for the best that she kept it a secret." Said Shade.

Weiss and Winter soon arrived at the dorm building. This forced Shade to meet with his worst enemy st the time. Stairs.

"Need some help buddy?" asked a voice from behind.

Shade turned around to see Sun behind him.

"Yeah Sun. That would be a big help. In fact, could you bring Sarah and Mercury with you to our team dorm for a minute? It's important." Said Shade, serious.

"No need. We're already here." Said Mercury from behind Sun.

"That makes it easy. Alright, let's go." Said Shade.

'Should I also tell team CFVY about it, or should I just tell Velvet? I mean I know the others, but do I trust them enough? I really should tell them as well, just out of courtesy.' thought Shade, pulling out his scroll and sending Velvet a message telling her to bring her team to his dorm for something important.

He got a text back saying that they would be there soon just as he and his friends arrived at the room. Team JNPR was also there. Shade knew that now it couldn't be avoided, so he opted to tell them as well.

'Well, I guess were just waiting for Team CFVY. Anything you want to know about while we wait for them Winter?" asked Shade.

"First things first. I want to see the ring." Said Winter.

"Of course you do. Just a sec." said Shade, opening his backpack in the corner of the room. After looking through it for a few seconds, he pulled out the ring. He walked over to Winter and handed it to her. It was a beautifully crafted ring with the band made of gold. There was a sapphire set into it. Overall, it was perfectly crafted.

"Well, I guess you do deserve some credit. I'm sorry for doubting you." Said Winter, apologetically.

"It's alright. As long as we're being honest, I wouldn't have believed me either." Said Shade.

"That's good to know." Said Winter. "Just one more thing. Why are you in a wheelchair?" asked Winter.

"It's a bit of a long story, but I'll shorten it up for you. Basically what happened was I had left beacon for…reasons…and I found a main White Fang base. I had charged headlong into it, in hopes of taking it down and capturing a higher-up in order to interrogate him and get some information out of him, but I got arrogant. I got taken down when I got careless, and was taken down by a leader. The leader really did a number on my knees and the doctor decided that it was a good idea to stay off my legs for a couple days. Just to give them some time to rest." Explained Shade, giving the short version and intentionally not including why he left.

"Reasons? What does that mean?" Asked Winter, confused.

"I just left for reasons. Reasons that I don't feel like disclosing at this time." Said Shade.

"Ok then." Said Winter, suspicious.

"We're here." Said Velvet, knocking on the door to Team RWBY's dorm.

Shade went over and opened the door, letting Team CFVY in. When they got in, they sat down, and Shade got a very serious look on his face.

"What's up Shade? You look, different. Much more serious than before." Sadi Sun.

"That's because I am serious right now. Just to make sure you all know the story, my family was killed when I was seven. After three years of searching, I found the man responsible for their deaths. We had fought against, but just before he killed me, an unknown force entered my body and gave me the strength to kill the man and get my revenge. The force left a small part of itself behind, and now it can take over my body and control it independently." Explained Shade, making sure everyone understood before continuing.

"So, what did you call us for? I get the feeling that that wasn't what was so important." Said Coco.

"Alright. Well, I told Weiss about this before. You all may notice, that you've never seen my right eye, right?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, you're right. We never have." Said Ruby, just now realizing.

"There is a reason for that. You see, when the force left a part of him behind, it wasn't just personal, it was a physical change too." Said Shade closing his eyes and sweeping the hair out of his right eye.

"So, you're hiding a scar?" asked Jaune, confused.

"That's a pretty strange reason for hiding. Weiss has a scar too, and scars are typically attractive." Said Nora.

"Strange huh? That's what you think? You see, the scar wasn't what I was hiding." Sadi Shade.

"Then what were you hiding?" asked Yang, confused.

"I was hiding," Shade paused for dramatic effect, "…this." Said Shade, opening his eyes.

All the girls in the room gasped, and all the guys just froze in place. All had a look of shock plastered on their face at Shade's inverted eye.

"Pretty much the reaction that I expected. When the force left, I had no recollection of anything that had happened. The only reason that I know that it had happened was his independence and control, and this eye. It was all that I needed though." Sadi Shade, covering his eye again.

When everyone got out of their state of shock, there were many different reactions. The most common being fear. However, there were also looks of admiration and awe coming from Yang, Blake, Velvet, Fox, Pyrrha, and Sun. This confused Shade a great deal.

"I understand the fear, and to that I say you don't need to be afraid of me. I am still a friend. But I don't really get the admiration. Care to explain?" asked Shade.

"Oh that's easy to explain. We admire that you have been able to stay so calm knowing that this, force as you called it, is essentially living inside you." Explained Velvet. Everyone except Sun agreed.

"What about you Sun?" asked Shade.

"Being completely honest, I just think that you look even more intimidating with the scary eye, and I am in awe that you can be more intimidating." Explained Sun.

"Alright. Fair enough. But really, thanks for being so cool about this whole situation guys." Said Shade, smiling.

"It's fine. It's like you said, we're all friends here. Nothing to worry about." Said Ruby with a smile.

Everyone quickly agreed with her, and they checked the time.

"Holy crap! It's already midnight?!" yelled Shade.

"It is?!" yelled Pyrrha.

"We need to get some rest. Day after tomorrow is the Battle of Bands, and we need to be rested." Declared Sun.

"Yeah, so let's get some rest. I assume that we will be preforming the songs that we practiced yesterday?" asked Shade.

"Of course! Come by our dorm tomorrow so we can fine tune it a bit. Will you be out of your wheelchair by then?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah, I should be good tomorrow. Can't keep me down that long." Said Shade, climbing out of his wheelchair, and into his bed.

Everyone had left and all of Team RWBY got into their respective beds. Weiss laid down and was about to go to sleep, but looked to her right and saw Shade, sound asleep in his bed right next to her.

'He's already asleep?' Weiss asked herself.

Shade was indeed fast asleep mere seconds after getting into bed.

'I wonder if the coma wore him out. No, that doesn't make any sense does it? No, of course not. That can't be it. But, if not that…then what?' Weiss thought to herself.

She looked over once again, and saw that Shade wasn't sleeping as soundly as it seemed. Every once in a while he would make an odd grunt-like sound, followed by what sounded like a muffled scream which was barely audible. He then started repeating words in Latin. The words that came up the most often were _neco_ , _perdere_ , and _finem_. Weiss didn't think much of it until Shade said a name in his sleep. Normally she would expect this to be her name, but it wasn't.

"Britanny…" was all Shade said.

'Who's Britanny?' thought Weiss.

She had no idea what the words nor the name meant, but she would find out tomorrow. Shade started thrashing around in his sleep slightly, and this scared Weiss. She quickly, and on instinct, woke Shade up.

Shade gasped as he awoke from his nightmare. He was sweating like crazy. He looked to his side and saw Weiss next to him, worried out of her mind.

"Are you Ok Shade?" asked Weiss in as quiet of a voice as she could, but Shade could still hear the worry in it.

"Yeah. I'm ok. Just a bad dream. I should be Ok now." Said Shade. However before he laid back down to go to sleep again Weiss asked him another question.

"Wait, before you go to sleep again, I need to ask something." Said Weiss.

"Alright. What's up?" asked Shade.

"Just a few things. Who's Brittany?" asked Weiss.

"Brittany…" said Shade, clearly remembering his deceased ex-girlfriend.

"I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to upset you! You just said it in your sleep, and I was just curious!" said Weiss hastily.

"No, no don't worry about it. It's just, Brittany was my first girlfriend when I moved to Mistral. She was a beautiful girl, sweet as could be." Explained Shade, almost tearing up.

"Are you sure you're Ok? You're almost crying." Asked Weiss.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Is that all you wanted to know?" asked Shade.

"Not quite. When you referred to Brittany, you referred to her in the past tense. Why is that?" asked Weiss.

"Mostly because she isn't my girlfriend anymore, but…" Shade trailed off.

"But what? What Shade?" asked Weiss, in her most comforting tone.

"But, it's also because…b-because she's…she's…" Shade couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They began trailing down his face. Weiss wrapped him in a tight hug, and Shade was quick to return it. They stayed like that until Shade had calmed down a bit, then he continued.

"I refer to her in the past tense because…she's…dead. She cut herself to death." Shade whispered the last part.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry Shade. I didn't know." Said Weiss, before Shade put a finger over her mouth.

"I know Weiss, there was no way you could've known. It's not your fault." Said Shade.

Weiss then thought that she heard Shade mumble something, but she wasn't sure.

"What was that?" asked Weiss.

"What was what?" asked Shade back.

"Nothing. Nevermind. There is just one more thing I would like to know." Said Shade.

"Alright. Ask away." Said Shade.

"What do _neco_ , _perdere_ , and _finem_ mean?" asked Weiss.

"So, I said them again huh?" Shade asked himself.

"What do you mean again?" asked Weiss confused.

"I mean that back when I was still dating Blake, I had said those words in my sleep as well. There Latin, but I don't particularly want to explain them now as they will probably raise more questions than answers. Is that Ok?" asked Shade.

"Of course it's Ok. I can wait." Said Weiss.

"Alright, now I really do need to get to sleep. Goodnight Weiss." Said Shade, giving Weiss a goodnight kiss.

"Goodnight Shade." said Weiss, returning the kiss.

They both laid down right next to each other and feel asleep in each other's arms.

The next day, Shade and Weiss woke up at the same time.

"Morning honey!" said Weiss, as she woke up to Shade's face.

"Morning sweetie!" replied Shade as he smiled back at her.

Weiss got out of bed, and was about to help Shade into his wheelchair until She saw that Shade was standing upright. She then realized that he didn't need the chair anymore.

They both got up and showered. When Shade had finished, Yang was up, waiting for him to finish.

"Finally!" said Yang, running in.

"She sure seems to be in a hurry." Shade then got a message on his scroll from Mercury.

"Hey Shade. I hope you don't mind, but I invited Yang to be the first to listen to our new songs as we practiced them, but we only have three and we need four to participate. If you have any ideas, we're all ears because we don't have any." Said the message.

"Who's that from?" asked Weiss.

"Mercury. Apparently he invited Yang to be the first to hear our new songs. Explains why she was in such a rush." Said Shade.

"Makes sense, but she does know that they can't start until you get there right?" asked Weiss.

"Honestly, I think that she just wants to see Mercury again." Said Shade.

"Makes sense. Do you mind if I tang along?" asked Weiss.

"Of course not. Come on. I'm heading there now." Said Shade walking out the door and holding it for Weiss.

They both left for Sun's room, where everything was already set up for the to play.

"Oh, so you brought Weiss along. Well, the more the merrier I guess." Said Sun.

"Got that right." Said Shade.

Yang then bolted into the room, excited.

"Play!" yelled Yang, overly excited.

"Yang calm down! We just got set up!" said Mercury.

"Fine." Said Yang, sitting down next to Weiss.

"We're dating rock stars!" whispered Yang.

"Yeah. I guess we are!" whispered Weiss back.

"So, we ready?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, but do you have an idea for a fourth song." Asked Mercury.

"Yeah. We don't have another song we wrote ourselves, so we'll have to do a cover, so we should probably start with that one and give it a bit of extra practice." Said Shade.

"Good idea. What song are you thinking?" asked Sun.

"I'm thinking Monster by Skillet. I think the lyrics fit me well." Said Shade.

"Based off what i heard last night, I have to agree. So we've got a cover, a song to help others, a song about being controlled, and a song that compares life to a game, at least in ways. Sounds like a healthy mix to me." Said Sarah.

"Sounds good to me too." Said Sun.

"So we're all good." Said Shade.

"Yep. Ready to start, but do you think that they will understand the meaning behind that last one?" Asked Mercury picking up his drum sticks.

"Everyone knows about the attack made on the White Fang base. If they don't know it was us, they'll just think that it was based on that. More importantly, why does it matter?" asked Shade.

"Point taken." Said Mercury.

They got set up and began to play their songs trying to get as much practice as possible.

 **(AN-I will now be switching to Ruby and Blake. Shade and everybody else will be excluded to preserve the songs mystery. I also thought I should let you all know didn't actually write any songs. I'm not anywhere near creative enough and I'm also too busy with college to sit down and spend two hours staring at one line on a piece of paper.)**

Ruby yawned as she woke up. She looked around the room and saw that she and Blake were the only ones there.

"Guess they all must have gone with Shade to watch the practice. Anyways, maybe me and Blake can talk. We don't really do that anymore. Ever since Shade got here, everything has been so crazy. But at least it's never been boring." Ruby said, talking to herself.

Blake woke up at this moment and stretched.

"Hey Blake." Said Ruby, jumping off her bed.

"Hey Ruby. What's up?" asked Blake.

"Not much, I just thought that maybe we could head into town. It's been a while since we got to hang out. Just the two of us, so I thought we could head out to town." Said Ruby.

"That sounds like a good idea to me, but where are Shade and the others?" asked Blake.

"They already left to go practice. I assume that Shade brought them with him." Said Ruby.

"Seems like something he would do. So are you ready to go?" Said Blake.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Ruby excitedly.

Blake and Ruby passed by Sun's room and heard music coming from it. They couldn't make out any of the words, but they could tell that they were practicing hard.

"They must be really serious about this." Said Blake.

"Sounds like it. They seem to really want to win." Said Ruby agreeing with Blake.

"So, where do you want to go Blake?" asked Ruby.

"I don't know. Why don't we just wander around until we find a store that looks interesting?" asked Blake.

"Works for me." Said Ruby.

Ruby and Blake walked for about 10 minutes until Blake got a message from Weiss.

"Hey Blake. Just found out something from my sister, and I need your help." Was what the message said.

"Alright what do you need?" asked Blake.

"I found out that Shade's birthday is tomorrow. I want to get him something special, but I don't want to leave." Said Weiss.

"Alright. Just let me know what you want me to get." Replied Blake.

"That's the problem. I have no idea what to get him, but I think that you'll be able to get something for him. I know that he'll like whatever it is. I'll pay you back for it, but I just can't get out right now. I know you'll pick something great. I see you later." Said Weiss.

"So, now I need to find something for Shade. It's his birthday tomorrow, and Weiss doesn't know what to get him. You got any ideas?" asked Blake.

"I do." Said a voice from behind them.

"Oh. Hello Neo!" said Blake.

"So, you're out looking for a gift for my bro huh?" asked Neo.

"More accurately, Weiss doesn't know what to get him, so she asked me to find something, but yeah pretty much." Said Blake.

"Well, I found something that I wanted to get him, but I can't afford it by myself. I'm sure that If we pooled our money together we could get it." Said Neo.

"Works for me. Lead the way Neo." Said Blake.

"It's right in here." Said Neo after going into a store that sold weapon modifiers.

She led them to an advanced looking weapon mod set. There was everything that you would expect and even more. It even had a coating in it that would allow a person to transfer their aura onto their weapon so that it would deal more damage when they were hit with it.

"That would work." Said Blake.

"Hey! You! Faunus! What do you think you're doing in here?!" yelled a customer.

"I'm minding my own business with my friends, which I would suggest you do as well if you had any." Said Blake in an even tone.

"What was that?" yelled the man.

"You heard me." Replied Blake.

"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face you little bitch!" yelled the man.

Blake was about to, but Ruby stopped her.

"Just ignore him. He's not worth the effort." Said Ruby.

"She's right. Don't even grace him with an answer." Said Neo.

Blake then turned away from the man and helped the other girls buy the weapon mod set.

Blake messaged Weiss saying that she had found something and asked if she was ok with sharing the gift with her, Neo and Ruby. Weiss messaged back immediately with an of course. When the girls got back from town, they hid their gift in yang's closet. They knew that Shade wouldn't dare even check there for it because if he did, Yang would murder him.

It was still a few hours before Shade, Yang and Weiss got back to the dorm.

"So? What'd you think?" asked Shade.

"I think you've got this win in the bag already." Said Yang.

"I know you do." Said Weiss, falling onto her bed.

"Yeah, we should probably turn in early. Make sure we have enough energy for tomorrow. It's going to be a long day." Said Shade, flopping down on his bed.

Everyone else agreed with Shade and went to bed early. They were all excited for the battle of bands, for more reason than one.

 **Whew! There's one more down. Never would've imagined that this story would go on this long, but I am glad that it has. I have had more fun writing this than anything else I have ever done. But as of right now, this chapter is done, and I will see all of you (hopefully) in the next one. Goodbye.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I need help. I can't stop writing! Wait, is that a problem? I don't know. Anyways, I have a review to respond to.**

 **Valerix: I can safely say that you are not alone in that. I always liked Silica too.**

 **Also I actually published the SAO story because I couldn't wait any longer before starting it so after this chapter, we may be going on a short break for this story.**

 **Now with that out of the way, I don't own RWBY, and let's just start the chapter.**

Chapter 18: A Song Battle and a Revelation

The next morning Shade woke up earlier than anyone else out of excitement. He took a shower and got ready to go into town for the Battle of Bands. When he finished getting ready he noticed that all the girls were still asleep. He then got a message from Sun telling him to come to his room. Shade left for Sun's room. When he arrived his bandmates pulled him into the room.

"What's up?" asked Shade.

"It's Mercury. He's freaking out." Said Sun.

Shade looked over to Mercury, who was breathing heavily and shaking.

"Hey Mercury! Snap out of it! We'll do fine! What would Yang think if she saw you like this?" asked Shade.

The mention of his girlfriend snapped Mercury out of it. Mercury thanked Shade and got ready for the Battle of Bands.

After Mercury had gotten ready, Shade and all his bandmates went to get all their friends. After picking them all up, they went to the cafeteria to get breakfast before heading into town. Everybody was almost too excited about the contest, but all the band members were calm and collected, completely prepared for whatever was going to happen. After a few hours of hanging around school and talking, the group headed into town as the contest was starting soon. They all boarded an airship and headed into town. Shade was staying completely calm, and everyone was almost worried about him until Sun said that he was simply completely focused on the contest.

When they landed the first thing they saw was the stage that they were going to perform on. Shade turned around to look at his bandmates. They all nodded and Shade led them to the stage. When they got there they were asked for their band name.

"The Fighting Faunus." Replied Shade.

The man checked the names on his clipboard. After a few seconds of looking, he let them pass.

Shade and his bandmates got set up in their typical band attire and got ready to perform. They learned that their band was going to perform last, so they had a little bit of a wait.

Three hours later after all the other bands had finished, Shade and his band were ready to go.

"Alright everybody. We have seen many good performances today, but we still have one more group left. This is a band that hasn't performed in a public place like this in years. Please welcome, The Fighting Faunus!" yelled the announcer. Loud cheers erupted from the crowd as Shade and his band walked out onto the stage all of them holding their instruments.

"Hello everybody! As the announcer just said, this is actually our first time performing live in many years, but we intend to give you all a good show. First up, we have a cover of an amazing song. Monster by Skillet. Hit the music!" yelled Shade as his bandmates played their parts.

 **(Cue Monster by Skillet)**

When the song ended, the crowd erupted once again. The band was smiling wider than anyone had ever seen before.

"That's what I like to hear!" Shade yelled into his mic. "Alright, next song we got is somewhat depressing. Especially to me. You see, I have experienced a situation like the one described in this song, so it has a bit of an emotional value to me. Let's go." Said Shade.

 **(Cue Baby Don't Cut by B-Mike)**

When the song ended, the band got another loud chorus of cheers.

"Man, you guys can get loud if you want to!" yelled Shade, getting another chorus of cheers. "Alright, this has gone by a lot quicker than I had anticipated, but now onto our second to last song. Everyone has that one person in their life who is always trying to control them, right?" Shade asked the crowd, getting lot of voices in agreement. "Of course, but how many of you can say that the person trying to control you…is yourself?" asked Shade. He got no responses. "Well, this is a song about that very situation. Hit it!"

 **(Cue Demon's in my Head by B-Mike)**

When the song ended, the crowd was louder than they had ever been before.

"Alright! Now we've had a great time today, I hope we aren't alone in that, but like all good things, this had to end eventually. This is going to be our final song of the evening. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has felt like life has been sort of like a video game at times. You feel like you died, but you just respawned, over and over again. This is a song comparing life to a video game, but maybe you will find something else in the lyrics. Play the music!" said Shade.

 **(Cue Chara by Mandopony)**

With that final line, Shade pout his mic back in the stand and the crowd could easily have caused an earthquake with how loud they were cheering.

The announcer picked up a microphone. "So it's unanimous? The winners are The Fighting Faunus!" yelled the announcer.

Everyone began cheering, including the other bands backstage.

Shade was in a state of shock. He knew that they would do well, but he never expected that they would win, much less so easily.

"Guess we're better than we thought guys." Said Shade.

The rest of his band members agreed with him, walked out to line up with Shade and bowed. They then walked backstage and met up with their friends.

"Well done guys!" said Blake.

"Yeah. That was awesome!" said Ruby, almost bouncing in excitement.

"She gets excited too easily. But I can understand why." Said Weiss.

"Way to go Shade! You were awesome!" said Velvet.

"I know." Said Shade, allowing his arrogance to show a bit.

"So, where are we going to go now? We still have a few hours to kill." Said Neo.

"I'm not sure." Said Shade.

"Hey Weiss? Do you mind if I borrow Shade for a little while?" asked Blake.

"Not at all. Just don't do anything with him." Said Weiss.

"Of course not." Said Blake leading Shade away.

"So what's up Blake?" asked Shade.

"Um, I kind of have a crush on someone, but I don't know what to do about it. I want to know what you would do in my situation." Said Blake.

"Tell him." Replied Shade simply.

"Is it Ok if I tell you my situation first?" asked Blake.

"Alright, go ahead." Said Shade.

"Ok. The person I like is in a pretty serious relationship with someone else, and they love each other very much. I started feeling like this a little while ago, but now I'm sure that I feel love for this person. I want to know what you would do in my situation." Said Blake.

"I would tell him. So who's the lucky guy?" asked Shade.

"Um well-" Blake was cut off.

"Ren? Jaune? Mercury? Sun?" asked Shade.

"No, no, no, no." said Blake.

"Those are all the guys that are in relationships though…other than-" Shade trailed off.

"No it's not you either!" said Blake, quickly explaining it.

"But…they are the only guys in a relationship. Who else could it be?" asked Shade.

"Well…um…it's…um…" Blake was clearly having trouble explaining herself.

"Blake, what's up?" asked Shade.

"Um…well…this is really hard for me to say but, I never said that…it…was…a boy…" Said Blake almost whispering.

Shade was silenced at this. He quickly shook the look of shock off his face, but was unable to respond to what she had just said.

"So then you're. I mean, you like…I mean…um…" Shade couldn't form a coherent sentence.

"I'm bisexual. Not pure lesbian." Said Blake.

"Alright, that explains it. So who's the lucky girl then?" asked Shade.

"Um, it's…um." Blake still couldn't answer.

"Is it Yang?" asked Shade, getting over his initial shock.

"No, it's not Yang." Said Blake.

"Ok…what about Ruby?" asked Shade.

"Still no." said Blake.

"Is it Pyrrha?" asked Shade, determined to figure it out.

"Keep going." Said Blake.

"Just so I know, if I get it, will you tell me I got it?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, I can't keep secrets very well. When you get it, you'll know." Said Blake.

"Ok, so is it Nora?" asked Shade.

"No. It's not Nora." Said Blake.

"So it's not Yang, Ruby, Pyrrha or Nora, but she is in a relationship." Said Shade.

"Right." Said Blake.

"Ok, so then that means that it must be-" Shade caught himself before he said it and started to think about it. "Wait. Not Ruby, not Yang, not Pyrrha, not Nora, but in a relationship, then it must be…" Shade trailed off.

Shade turned towards Blake wide-eyed. Blake simply looked back, her face crimson, and nodded.

"Well...shit." was all Shade had to say.

"Yes. Yes. It's Weiss. I really don't want to feel this way, but I do. I know that you love her, and that she loves you, but that is how I feel. I thought that I should tell you first. I'm not expecting her to go that way, so I've already given up on it, but I needed to tell someone so I didn't go completely insane. Thank you for hearing me out Shade." said Blake.

"Don't worry about it Blake. I understand completely. These things happen. No one can control emotions. You can't control who you fall in love with. Also I just want to let you know, if you ever need to talk to anyone about this, you can always come to me, Ok?" asked Shade, comforting Blake.

"Ok. Thank you Shade." said Blake.

"No problem at all Blake. But you really should tell Weiss. Maybe not now, but soon." Said Shade, but Blake shook her head.

"What? Why not?" asked Shade.

"If it was just about being a faunus, I would, but it's not just that. Even if she was ok with the girl-girl thing, what would her father say? If by some miracle Weiss was Ok with it, her father might not be. If we were together and her father forced us to break up, I just couldn't put her through that." Said Blake.

"I suppose that makes sense." Said Shade.

"Yeah, but we should get back to the others." Said Blake.

"Yeah, don't want to make them wait too long." said Shade.

"So let's go." Said Blake.

'Wow. Why is it that my life always has so much drama in it? This is quite the situation, but I'm sure we can figure something out." Thought Shade.

 **There we go! Chapter 18 finished. Had been planning this one for a while now as well. Planned this chapter to go on longer, but decided to end it here. Just felt like a good place to leave it off. I'm not sure if this will go on hiatus for long, but it might while I work on my new SAO story, so if you like my writing, be sure to check that one out. But for now, this chapter is done, and I am out. See you next time! Goodbye!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. I am going to try to update this somewhat frequently while my SAO story is going on, but I can't make any promises. Now, to the review!**

 **NInjaFang1331: Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying it.**

 **Now with that out of the way, I don't own RWBY in any way, and let's start the chapter!**

Chapter 19: Shade's true power

"Um, hey Blake?" asked Shade.

"Yes Shade?" responded Blake.

"I'm not really sure how to ask this but, how did this whole thing start?" asked Shade, referring to what he had just heard from her.

"I'm not really sure. I guess it started when you left and got injured. This may come off as selfish at first, but juts hear me out." Said Blake.

"Go on." Said Shade.

"Well, I'm sure you know how the Faunus are subjected to discrimination and hate on a regular basis right?" asked Blake.

"Yeah of course." Said Shade.

"Well, I've never really had anyone who cared about me. Well, before coming to Beacon. After witnessing how Weiss was so concerned for you when you were injured, and how much she cared about you, I found myself wishing that it was me who was hurt, and that she cared that much about me. I guess it made me realize that I just wanted someone who cared about me that much. I mean, it's easy to care about people, but for some reason it always seems like people couldn't care less about what happens to me." Said Blake.

"You do know that what you just said makes no sense right?" asked Shade.

"How do you mean?" asked Blake.

"Everyone cares about you just as much as anyone else. I'm sure of it. The only people that they might care about more are their significant others, but that's just natural." Said Shade.

"Thank you Shade." said Blake.

"It's what I do. No problem." Said Shade, smiling.

Blake smiled back just as Shade found their friends looking at a shop that was robbed.

"Oh god." Said Blake as she ran up to it.

"What happened here?" asked Shade when he got to the detectives investigating the scene.

"Robbery. Another dust shop this week." Said one of the detectives.

"Great. Just perfect." Said Shade.

"They left all the money again." Said the other detective.

"Just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much dust?" asked one detective.

"I don't know." Said the other detective.

"You thinking the uh… White Fang?" asked the detective.

"I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." Said the other detective.

"The White Fang huh? What an awful bunch of degenerates." Said Weiss, forgetting that Shade was there, but Shade didn't care about it.

But Blake wasn't so quick to forgive. "What's your problem?" asked Blake.

'Oh no…' thought Shade.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Responded Weiss.

'Ouch. That stings Weiss.' Thought Shade.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus." Said Blake.

"Misguided? They want to wipe humanity of the face of the planet." Said Weiss.

"So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale." Said Blake.

"Blake's got a point. Besides the police never caught that Torchwick guy me and Shade ran into. Maybe it was him." Said Ruby, trying to diffuse the situation.

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat and steal." Said Weiss.

"That's not necessarily true." Said Yang, remembering Shade was there.

"Besides, it's not like every Faunus in the world will join the White Fang." Said Ruby. But Weiss still didn't let up.

"Most do. The only ones I know who didn't are Velvet, Sun and Blake. All others are just like them." Said Weiss, not accounting for Shade at all.

Ruby was about to bring up Shade, but Shade just shook his head in the background, wanting to see how far Weiss would go.

Blake was getting mad. "You ignorant little brat!" yelled Blake.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!" said Weiss.

"You are a judgemental little girl!" replied Blake.

"What in the world makes you say that?" asked Weiss.

This argument went on all the way back to the dorm, which Shade only listened in to, to see how far Weiss would go.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem." Said Weiss.

"That IS the problem." Said Blake.

"You realize you are defending an organization that hates humanity don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil." Said Weiss.

"There's no such thing as pure evil. Why do you think they hate humanity so much. It's because of people like how Cardin used to be. People like you that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!" said Blake.

"People like me?" asked Weiss in disbelief.

"You're discriminatory!" said Blake.

"I'm a victim! You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War. As in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember, and ever since I was a child I've watched family friends disappear. Board members, executed. An entire train car full of dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious. And that made for a very…difficult…childhood." Said Weiss.

Ruby walked over to Weiss. "Weiss I-" Ruby was cut off.

"NO! You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!" yelled Weiss.

Shade listening outside snapped at this. He kicked the door open, just in time to hear Blake say "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

Everyone other than Shade was sent into a state of shock. Partly from Blake's outburst and revelation, and partly form the look of utter rage on Shade's face.

"I…" said Blake before dashing out the door, past Shade.

Weiss looked at Shade. His anger didn't fade at all. Weiss was about to talk, but Shade stopped her.

"Just shut up!" he said in a voice that sent chills into everyone's bodies.

"But-" Weiss was cut off again.

"I said SHUT UP!" he yelled, loud enough to startle team JNPR.

"Shade. I-" Weiss was cut off one more time.

"Listen to me. Right now. It is taking everything in my power to keep myself from ripping you limb from limb. The only reason why I'm even trying to hold it back, is because you are my girlfriend. At least for now. Me and Blake need some time away. We will be back by the weekend. Do not come looking for us. We will be back. For now, the best thing to do, is leave us alone." Said Shade, walking away, ignoring everything said to him.

He caught up with Blake in front of the school. She was crying. He wrapped her in a hug.

"That's why I can't tell her." Said Blake, wiping away her tears. "She'll just break my heart."

"That's why you have to tell her. Maybe it will cause her to rethink everything. Right now, she has nothing pushing her to rethink her opinion on Faunus. When we get back, tell her. If she feels the same way or at least is willing to give it a shot, I'll break it off with her. You have more reason to be with her than me. That, and you don't have anyone else that likes you in that way. Right?" asked Shade.

"No. I don't. But neither do y-" Blake stopped when she remembered Velvet.

"So, can you promise me you will tell her?" asked Shade.

"This weekend. Alright. I'll tell her when we get back. I just need some time to cool off first Ok?" asked Blake.

"So do I. I heard everything from outside the door." Said Shade, walking with Blake into town.

 **Back at the dorm**

Weiss was sitting on her bed, crying her eyes out. Confused as to what was wrong with her. Why was she so cruel to Blake? Why did she say all those things about the Faunus? Why didn't she exclude Shade ever? She asked all these questions to herself, and just got sadder when she realized the reason. She still didn't trust the faunus. She is dating a faunus, has a faunus on her team, and is good friends with three more of them, but she can't trust them?

"What is wrong with me?" asked Weiss silently.

Ruby and Yang were already fats asleep, knowing that Shade and Blake were gone for a while, but Weiss couldn't get over it. She could only think about what she did wrong.

'Maybe I should just…end it now.' Thought Weiss.

"Weiss. I know what you're thinking. I was thinking the exact same when Yang said that me and Sun couldn't be together. I was about to do the same thing that you think you should do. Don't do it. Shade was the one who pulled me off the balcony. I will do the same to you before it even happens. I will say the same thing he said to me then. Suicide doesn't stop anything from getting worse. It just eliminates the possibility of anything ever getting better. It won't help anyone for you to do this. All we can do is what Shade said. Wait and hope that he can forgive you." Said Ruby.

Weiss realized that Ruby was right. She just needed to wait. "Thank you Ruby. You're right." Said Weiss, lying down on her bed. She doubted she would get any sleep but she had to try.

The days leading up to the weekend were pure torture for Weiss. Shade wasn't answering his scroll. Blake didn't even have her scroll with her.

 **In town with Shade and Blake**

"Well Blake, today's the day. You ready?" asked Shade as they boarded the airship back to beacon.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Oh, god I have lost my mind. Why did I let you talk me into this?" asked Blake.

"You knew I was right all along." Said Shade, responding.

"I hate when you're right." Said Blake.

Shade simply smiled as they approached the ground.

"We're here. Not much longer. You really should open up with you being bi. Might lessen the shock when you drop the bomb. You have a few minutes to think about what you're going to say." Said Shade.

"Can you let everyone else know?" asked Blake.

"You mean JNPR, CFVY, Sun, Sarah, Mercury, and Neo?" asked Shade.

"And CRDL." Said Blake.

"You sure?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. I'm sure. Better sooner than later." Said Blake.

"Alright. I'll tell them to wait for us." Said Shade, getting out his scroll and sending the same message to everyone. "Big news in RWBY's dorm in a few minutes. Get your asses over there ASAP."

He quickly got a reply from everyone almost instantly. "Alright. That's everyone. No turning back now." Said Shade.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Blake walking with Shade.

It took them only a few minutes to get back to their dorm room. As they stood outside the room, all that Blake could feel was a sense of dread. She didn't know if she could do it, but she knew she had to.

"Ready Blake?" asked Shade, quietly.

Blake just nodded, shaking.

"Alright." Said Shade, reaching for the doorknob and turning it. He opened the door and saw everyone waiting for them.

"You're all here. Good. Can we sit?" asked Shade, walking in.

Everyone parted, letting Shade and Blake sit on Blake's bed.

"Now, I don't have anything to say, but Blake has somethings that she needs to say. I already know what they are, but she said that she should tell everyone. So we called you here and I'm starting to ramble so I'll just let Blake talk now." Said Shade, taking out the flask of whisky he bought a while back.

"Really Shade? Now?" asked Sun.

"Shut up Sun." said shade, taking a swig of the alcohol.

Everyone turned to Blake. She was visibly shaking. She didn't want to say anything, and everyone could tell. Shade looked to the side and locked eyes with Blake. He gave her a look of, "you have to" and she looked back at him with a look of "I can't."

Shade sighed. "Blake, I don't want it to come to this, but if you don't tell them, I will. I'll be blunt and straightforward, but you can give more information. You're choice." Said Shade.

Blake knew he would. She took in a deep breath and let it out. "Ok. I'm ready. There is something that I've been hiding from everyone, and I need to get it out before I lose my mind. You see, I'm not what you would call, normal." Said Blake.

"I assume you aren't talking about you being a Faunus." Said Yang.

"No. I'm not. I wish it was that simple. You see, I'm actually, bisexual. I realized that a while ago, but I tried to deny it, but I realized I couldn't. I needed to tell you guys so you all would know." Said Blake.

No one reacted in a negative way, which was a good thing. Shade brought the flask back up to his mouth and just as the whisky started to enter his mouth, a female voice said "You too?" Shade started choking at this point, and Yang smacked him on the back, getting him over it.

"Thanks Yang. Sorry everyone, just a bit of a shock. Who said that?" asked Shade. He looked around the room, and everyone was focused on one person. He followed everyone's gaze to a girl with her hands clasped over her mouth.

"Who's everyone loo-" Shade stopped when he saw who had said that. He locked eyes with his girlfriend, sitting across from him, both of her hands clasped over her mouth.

No one even dared to say a word. They all just looked at someone else, waiting for them to say something. Shade was the first one to speak.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, Blake has something else to say. Whenever you're ready." Said Shade, leaning back.

"Are you kidding me? How could Blake's news even compare to this?" asked Jaune.

"You'd be surprised Jaune. If you don't tell them Blake, I know. I won't hesitate." Said Shade.

"God dammit Shade. You suck so much." Said Blake.

"Just say it already. I can't wait any longer! The waiting is killing me!" said Sun.

"Fine. I'll spill. Just promise me, no one will freak out too much." Said Blake.

Everyone agreed. Weiss just nodded, still holding her hands over her mouth, trying to force her words back into her mouth, even though it was futile.

"You know. I thought it would be easy after that. But it just made it a million times harder." Said Blake.

"What do you mean?" asked Mercury, before he saw Shade staring at him.

Everyone was dead silent. It was almost a deafening silence. They were all looking at Blake, who was struggling to say anything. "I'm sorry Shade. I can't do it. Can you do it for me?" asked Blake.

"Alright. SO, as it turns out, Blake is in love with Weiss. She realized it after I was injured and put into a coma because of someone," he said looking at Neo, "The reason she didn't say anything was because of her father, and now everyone knows, and this just made Weiss uncomf-" he stopped before he finished the word "uncomfortable".

He looked at Weiss, who looked completely calm, compared to everyone else who looked like their head was about to explode.

"Alright, somehow this is more awkward than before." Said Shade.

Blake just looked up at Weiss, who gave her a questioning stare. Blake just nodded.

"I see. If that is true, I am willing to give you a chance." Said Weiss, shocking everyone in the room, but Blake was clearly expecting her to say no.

"I should've known. I shouldn't have said anything." Said Blake.

Weiss looked at Shade confused. He held up five fingers and counted down from five. When he hit one, Blake jumped up from her bed and almost tackled Weiss. She pushed Shade out of the way to get there, who fell on top of Velvet, with his face right in her chest.

Shade immediately jumped up and apologized.

"Shade, we all know Velvet liked it." Said Yang.

"Shut up Yang!" said Velvet, blushing and standing back up.

"Go for it Velvet! He's available now. Ask him!" whispered Coco.

"I heard that Coco, and technically yeah I am. But there's no guarantee for how long. What if it doesn't work out between those two and Weiss wants me back? Then I'm stuck on who's heart I have to break, and I'm not doing that." Said Shade.

"I wasn't going to ask anyways. I can wait a little longer. At least until Weiss makes up her mind about Blake." Said Velvet. "But just so I know, if it does work out?" asked Velvet.

"Of course. I would love to." Said Shade.

"Well, that's over with now. Only one thing left to do." Said Neo, looking at everyone else.

"What?" asked Shade.

"Three…Two…One!" said Neo.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHADE!" yelled everyone.

"Thanks guys! I completely forgot about this!" said Shade.

"Now, we don't have many presents, but some of us decided to share because it was expensive." Said Blake, going into Yang's closet and getting out the mod set.

"Holy hell! That thing looks like it weighs a hundred and fifty pounds at least!" said Yang.

"It is a little heavy." Said Blake just as Shade got there and took it from her.

"I got it." Said Shade.

"Thanks Shade." said Blake sitting next to Weiss.

"Seriously, I don't know what to say right now." Said Shade.

"Just put it to good use Shade. That's all we ask." Said Neo.

"Of course." Said Shade. With Shade getting his presents, they all decided to take him out for dinner, despite his protests. On their way out, Shade noticed the smile on Blake's face and looked at Weiss. He didn't see anything on her face.

'I hope it works out for her. I'll feel like an ass if it doesn't.' thought Shade.

'I hope this works out.' Thought Blake.

'Huh? I'm actually enjoying this more than I thought I would. Maybe this will work out.' Thought Weiss.

"You know Shade. I need to ask something." Said Yang.

"Yeah. What?" asked Shade.

"If Neo is your sister, why does she look so different from you?" asked Yang.

"I don't know. I never really questioned it much." Said Shade, hiding what he and Neo knew

"I was hoping this question wouldn't come up so soon." Said Neo.

"What?" asked Yang.

"Wait Neo. Should we tell them?" asked Shade.

"Better sooner than later Shade." said Neo.

"What are you talking about?' asked Yang. At this point everyone was there listening.

"While me and Shade are brother and sister in the technical sense, we aren't in the literal sense." Said Neo.

"So you mean that…" said Yang.

"I was adopted." Said Shade.

"I found Shade outside one day. He was passed out in an alleyway. I called my parents and they came to pick him up. We took him back to our house and he stayed there until he woke up." Said Neo.

"When I finally came too, I had no memories. The only things I had were the clothes on my back and the memory of a burning building. I still haven't found out where that building is or why I remembered it. I found out a few years later that I wasn't a family member. I didn't mind because they were nice people, so they decided to adopt me. That was on my 7th birthday. One week later was when…the incident took place." Said Shade.

"What were your adoptive parent's names?" asked Blake.

"Why does that matter?" asked Yang.

"I just want to know." Said Blake.

"The father's name was James. The mother's name was Audrey." Said Shade.

"James? You mean like you're name?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. I couldn't remember my real name so I went with his." Said Shade.

"Wow." Said Velvet.

"Yeah." Said Shade.

Neo looked at Shade, and he shook his head. Neo still looked at him and he said "no". She continued to look and he screamed "NO!"

'They'll find out eventually anyways!" said Neo.

"I know! But not yet!" yelled Shade.

Everyone was confused. Shade had never blown up like that for no reason.

"Why not? Don't they deserve to know?" asked Neo.

"Thank about this from my perspective! Would you say anything yet?" asked Shade.

"I wouldn't need to! That would've been the first thing I told them!" said Neo.

"That's where you're wrong. You didn't do it! I did! You have no idea how much this has affected me over the years!" yelled Shade laving everyone behind.

Sun was about to pull Shade back, but Shade turned around and knocked him out cold with a single punch.

Mercury went after Shade but Shade grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground. Shade began to lose control, becoming even more violent looking than that time in the cafeteria when he took down Cardin. He was losing to the monster within, and everyone trying to attack him wasn't helping. After everyone stopped attacking, Shade was almost completely different. Shade ran away before the monster could take full control and when it did, he was deep in the Emerald Forest. His teeth had grown into fangs. His finger nails had grown into claws and his eyes had turned black. He screamed at the sky, but it came out as a bone-chilling howl. It was heard clear as day at Beacon.

Ozpin looked out his window. He recognized that howl. When all of Shade's friends told him what had happened, Ozpin looked shocked.

"This is bad." Said Ozpin.

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune.

"No time to explain." Said Ozpin.

Ozpin took out a microphone and announced a code black.

"Shade left so we need to get to our dorms and lock the doors and ready our weapons?" asked Ruby.

"Yes. You must. Your friend is very dangerous. If he shows up soon, we may be forced to take…drastic measures." Said Ozpin with a sad voice.

"What do you mean drastic measures?" asked Velvet.

"We may be forced…to kill him." Said Ozpin.

"Why? What is going on here?" asked Yang.

"If you must know. I will tell you. You see, Shade is a, special case. He is not Human, nor is he Faunus." Said Ozpin.

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Well, not entirely Faunus." Said Ozpin.

"Then what is he?" asked Coco.

"He is, or at least was, what we call, a Blood Brother." Said Ozpin.

"What is that?" asked everyone.

"Shade has said that he was in the White Fang before correct?" asked Ozpin.

"Yeah he has." Said Weiss.

"He wasn't. He was supposed to be the start of a much more hostile group called the Blood Brothers." Said Ozpin.

"Who are they?' asked Blake.

"They were a group of violent humans and Faunus with overly violent tendencies. Whether this be through genetic modification, or from birth. Shade was supposed to be the start of this group, but there was a problem with his modification. He soon rebelled against his creators, and murdered them all, before burning the building to the ground. Reducing it to nothing but ash. I'm sure you are aware of the alleged "monster' inside him?" asked Ozpin.

"Yes. It has come up." Said Cardin, shaking at the remembrance of what the monster was capable of.

"I can assure you, that was not a monster inside him. It was his nature. He wasn't taken over by a monster. He was in full control of his body, even if he didn't know. It was part of his nature that caused him to attack." Said Ozpin.

'What do you mean?" asked Velvet, confused.

"I won't be able to describe it as well as possible. But there is a story behind that boy. Take out your scrolls and search Shade Hill please." Said Ozpin.

They searched what Ozpin had told them and they saw a picture of a boy that looked like Shade standing among the remains of a village. He was covered in blood. The village was burning, and dead bodies were all around Shade. This looked nothing like the Shade they knew.

"Is that Shade?" asked Pyrrha.

"Partly. That is Shade in a way." Said Ozpin.

"What do you mean I a way?" asked Velvet.

"You see, Shade was genetically modified in a way that had never even been attempted before. He was modified using the genetics of Grim." Said Ozpin.

Everyone was silent.

"Shade was the first successful attempt at creating a genetically modified Grim hybrid. What you saw when the 'monster' took hold, was only approximately one twentieth of his full power. If he was at full power, he could've easily killed anyone here. Not just the hunters and huntresses in training, but full-fledged Hunters and Huntresses as well such as Goodwitch, Oobleck, Port, and I. We would be almost powerless to stop him. It would take many of us working together all at once to stop his rampage. Not even I know what we would need to do to stop him, or if we even could." Said Ozpin, finishing his explanation.

"Does that mean that-" Velvet was cut off.

"Yes. He is at full power now. Whatever happened forced his grim side out. If he comes to the school, he could quite easily kill all of us without any trouble at all." Said Ozpin.

Just then, Ozpin received a message from Goodwitch on his scroll.

"Oh no. He's arrived." Said Ozpin.

Everyone in the room began to panic. Ozpin told them to stay in the room they were in and wait. I will record what is happening and it will be sent to your scrolls he also told them that if the unthinkable might happen, use the PA system to distract him and give Ozpin enough time to recover. Just turn it on and start talking.

They just nodded.

 **In the courtyard**

Shade walked into view just as Ozpin arrived. Ozpin turned on his scroll and began recording. He set it up so that the others could see what was happening. Shade walked closer to the teachers. Just as Shade got within range, everyone began attacking him. Shade dodged every attack easily. He began laughing as they continued only to have Shade dodge every attack.

"My turn now." Said Shade in a demonic voice. He rushed down the teachers and swung his claws around wildly, getting off a few good hits on the teachers, causing many minor cuts wounds.

The teachers recovered quickly and began to continue the assault, only to have the same thing repeat over and over again. Shade dodge the attacks and attack back.

Ozpin and the teachers were running out of energy fast. They knew that it would be impossible to beat him like this. Ozpin looked back at his scroll and nodded. Velvet ran over to the P.A. System and turned it on. She began speaking.

"Shade! Please Shade, listen to me. It me Velvet. Don't do this. You need to stop. I know you aren't doing this. It's not who you are." Said velvet into the P.A. system.

Ozpin began speaking into his scroll. "Velvet whatever you're doing don't stop. Shade seems to recognize your voice."

"This isn't you. Don't let this thing take control of you. You're stronger than it. I know you are. You can break free. Just listen to me, please!" Velvet said, pleadingly.

Shade began grunting, as if he was fighting back against himself. His voice grew less demonic and started to sound more normal. "Velvet…" said Shade.

"Keep it up Velvet! He's fighting back." Said Ozpin into his scroll.

"Shade! Can you hear me! It's me Velvet!" said Velvet, continuing.

"Try to bring up some things that he would remember. Past memories of you and your friends." Said Ozpin.

"Shade. Remember when you defended me from Cardin and his friends? Or when you won the singing contest here at beacon?" asked Velvet.

Shade began to nod slightly.

"How about when you and Blake went out on a date?" asked Velvet.

"Blake…" said Shade, his voice almost back to normal.

"You need to finish this now. Say something that would be impossible to forget Velvet. Now!" said Ozpin.

"What about when I confessed my love for you Shade? Do you remember that? It was after the singing contest." Said Velvet.

Shade instantly dropped to his knees and passed out. He changed back into his usual self.

"It worked. He stopped the attack. Announce that the code black is over." Said Ozpin. And Velvet did so. Then she and all her friend s ran out to the courtyard to find Shade.

He was passed out cold on the ground. Curled up in the fetal position, and shaking. His breathing was shallow and quick. Not long after a few doctors showed up and took him to the infirmary. Not long after he arrived, he woke up. His friends showed up not long after that. When they entered the room, Shade avoided their gaze.

"Shade? Are you Ok?" asked Velvet.

Shade didn't respond.

"What's wrong?" asked Ruby.

Shade remained silent.

"Why won't you talk to us?" asked Coco.

Shade still didn't even so much as glance over at them.

"If you don't answer me right now, I won't like you anymore." Said Velvet.

'That'll get him talking.' Thought Blake.

However, Shade remained silent.

"Why won't you answer us?" asked Weiss.

"I'm not leaving this hospital room." Said Shade.

"What do you mean?" asked Pyrrha.

"Well, I'm not leaving it alive at least." Said Shade.

"What? What do you mean you're not leaving alive." Asked Nora.

"When I woke up, the doctors told me that I was to be killed for attacking beacon. There getting the injection ready now." Said Shade.

"What? You can't be killed!" yelled Jaune.

"That's crazy." Said Sun.

Just then, a doctor entered with a needle.

"Are you ready Shade?" asked the doctor.

"Yes. Goodbye everybody." Said Shade, holding out his arm.

His friends quickly surrounded him.

"You can't do this!" said Velvet.

"What do you mean?" asked the doctor.

"You can't kill him!" said Weiss.

"Of course not! Why would I do that?" asked the doctor.

"That's what he said the injection was for!" said Blake.

"It's not. The injection is to help him keep his destructive side under control." Said the doctor.

They all looked back at Shade. He was smiling.

"Weiss? Do you remember when you pretended to have amnesia in order to prank me? Didn't I say I would get you back for that? I always keep my word." said Shade.

"Why the hell would you do that?!" asked Weiss.

"I told you I would get you back. I delivered." Said Shade.

His friends got mad at him, but he managed to calm the down quickly after he got the injection. He went with his friends back to the dorm.

"So, I suppose you want to know why I exploded like that." Said Shade.

"That would be helpful, yes." Said Weiss.

"Alright. Let me take you back to the day my adoptive parents died-" Shade was cut off.

"We already know that story." Said Blake.

"And let me tell you the truth about that day.

 **Alright one more down. I actually had to type this out twice because just before I was able to save this chapter, my computer crashed. The next chapter may be in the works for a while. But anyways, that's the end of this chapter, and I will hopefully see you in the next chapter. Goodbye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. This chapter has been in the works for a little while, but that's only because I wanted to try and make it as thorough as possible. Now, to the reviews!**

 **Valkerix: I had planned Shade to be an experimental Grim hybrid at first, then I changed my mind halfway through because I didn't know how to write it, but I decided to add it in for Shade to have an overly violent side which will come back later. Just wait… (Also I will borrowing Kami and Risa for this chapter. Hope you don't mind.** **Sorry if don't portray them very well.)**

 **Guest: Oh really? First, if you think my story has been ruined, then why exactly are you reading it? Not just that, but you took time out of your life to insult my writing. I had said that it was my first story, but you still have the nerve to insult it. Secondly, I ask you to scroll down a little bit and take a glance at some of the other reviews. I believe I have some fans who would respectfully disagree. Just what I would do.**

 **Blu3 Fir3: Thank you for letting me know! I also added in some other songs which I am not sure about later in the story, but now I know that I will have to check once I get some time that isn't taken up by college life, so thanks for letting me know.**

 **Now that those are out of the way, I only own Shade. Kami and Risa belong to my online friend Valkerix, as does the team name SPKR (Spectre), and let's get to the story already.**

Chapter 20: The Truth and A Team

"The truth about that day?" asked Blake.

"Yes. The day my adoptive parents died was much different than how I described it. I'll lead it up to how I ended up doing mercenary contracts. It also explains why Neo actually tried to kill me." said Shade.

"By the way, we need to ask you about something Ozpin told us, but it can wait." Said Velvet.

"Alright. Now, it's time you found out the truth." Said Shade with a solemn look on his face.

 **(Flashback! Just to be clear, James knows that he was adopted at this point, but I will still refer to them as dad and mom because it is too much of a pain to add the adoptive before every instance.)**

"James! Time for dinner!" called his mother.

"Thanks Mom! I'll be down in a second!" called James from the second floor of his house.

A few seconds later, James came down the stairs to see his adoptive family, sitting at the dinner table, waiting for him to sit down.

James walked over to sit down in his usual seat, between his father and sister, across the table from his mother. He began to eat along with his family.

"So son, how has you're training been going?' asked his sister.

"Really well! I think I've improved a lot." Said James.

James's father had begun to train him in the use of a sword, and James had shown tremendous improvement. It was almost as if he was born to wield a sword.

"That's amazing! Who knows maybe you'll be able to beat your father one of these days." Said his mother, smiling.

"Maybe someday." Said his father.

"Who knows? Maybe he could beat you now dad." Said Neo.

"After dinner, would you care to test out that theory?" asked his father, shooting James a competitive glance.

"Sure! I'm always up for a challenge!" said James, shooting the same glance back at his father.

"Then it's settled! How about out in the backyard?" asked James's mother.

"Sounds good to me!" said James.

"Are we going to use padding?" asked James's father.

"Of course you are! I can't risk having anything happen to James!" said James's mother.

"No. We don't really need padding. It doesn't allow me to fight at my full ability." Said James.

"Alright then. No padding it is." Said James's father.

"Did anyone even hear me?" asked James's mother.

James and his father just continued to discuss how they would judge the fight.

"I don't think they did." Said Neo.

"Boys…" said his mother.

"Tell me about it." Said Neo.

"I heard that Neo." Said James, smirking back at her.

"Well I said it loud." Said Neo.

Neo and James continued to argue until James and his father were outside ready to fight.

"Alright, so first one unable to continue loses, right?" asked his father.

"Yes. Are you ready?" asked James.

"Yes. Are you ready?" asked his father.

James simply nodded. He went into a stance with his left hand hanging in front of him, his right hand gripping the sword behind his back, with the blade pointed away from him. His father held his sword up at his shoulder, with the blade pointed back as well.

They stared each other down for a few seconds, waiting for someone else to else the first move. They were in complete silence. Not even the wind interrupted them. Suddenly, James launched himself at his father, swinging his sword at him. His father had barely enough time to react, so he blocked the strike, and threw James off balance, swinging back at him. James did a backflip to avoid the strike, but when he landed, his father swung again, forcing James to block. They were stuck in a blade-lock, neither willing to give an inch. James began to push harder, forcing his father back just enough to push him off and swing at him, cutting his arm. Unfortunately, it wasn't his sword bearing arm, but it was enough. James dashed at his father, not giving him any room to counter or block, and causing multiple minor cuts on his father. After this onslaught, James jumped into the air, determined to slash downward onto his father, but his father moved in time to avoid it, James landed face first on the ground, and was too slow to get back up. His father threw him in the air, slashing at James's chest when he came back down, sending him backwards into a tree. James stood back up quickly and brushed off his shoulder. He dashed back at his father and slashed again, but it was dodged and he was sent into another tree. He seemed to struggle to get back to his feet this time. When he got back up, his father asked him if he wished to submit.

"No chance." Said James, wiping his mouth and charging at his father again.

His father shrugged and was preparing to dodge again, but James changed the direction of his swing quickly. His father couldn't get out of the way in time. James slashed his back, knocking his father over. James got up quickly and charged again, only to be caught by his father and sent into the air. When James got down low enough, James's father kicked him back into a third tree. James didn't appear to get back up. James's father began to advance on James.

"Dad, stop it! He's had enough!" said Neo.

"If I know James, this is a ruse. He is feigning his loss to deceive me into letting my guard down." Said his father, but James didn't even budge.

His father was about to land the final blow on James, until Neo jumped up, grabbed James's sword, and used it to defend James.

"He's had enough! Stand down!" yelled Neo.

James opened his eyes to see his sister defending him.

"Do not interfere!" yelled James's father, slapping Neo, sending her away.

James wanted to get up to help her, but he could barely move.

"You want to interfere? Then get up and fight!" said James's father.

"But, I don't have any training with a weapon?" said Neo, looking at the sword.

"Too late. Fight!" said his father, lunging at his daughter, slashing her leg.

Neo fell to one leg. His father didn't stop the assault until Neo was on the ground. James got back up and stumbled over to his sister. He checked her for a pulse, but felt nothing. He looked back up at his father. His father didn't seem to care.

"Why did you do this? Why did you kill her? Why did you kill your own daughter!?" asked James, tears in his eyes, beginning to get angry.

"I didn't kill her. She's f-" his father was cut off after checking her pulse. Nothing.

"But, I didn't even hit any vitals… How is this possible?" asked his father.

James was beginning to lose his temper. His body started to glow with a black aura. His breathing became deep and angry. He stood back up and laughed a demonic laugh.

"Hah! Finally! I am free!" said James in a deeper voice that made him sound demonic.

"What? What are you talking about James?" asked his father.

"I am not James. You set me free, just like my creators. Do you know what I did to them?" asked the new presence.

"No." said his father.

"I did to them, what I will do to you!" yelled the presence before charging at his father and slashing his stomach. Not stopping, he continued to plunge his sword into his father's chest, before cutting his head off, ending his life.

"NO!" said his mother, but the presence didn't stop at his father. He charged at his mother, killing her with a sword through her neck. At this point James regained full control. He looked at his family all murdered.

"NO! NO! What happened?" asked James, not knowing what happened.

He looked behind him seeing someone fleeing the scene. He assumed that this was the man who killed his family, and took off after him. Not long after, he caught up to the man and killed him swiftly; however, he passed out and was brought into his mind. When he awoke in his mind, he saw the man he assumed killed his family.

After taking off Neo woke up and saw James running. She also saw her family murdered and knew that James must have done it. "You will pay for this." She said before passing out again.

"I thought you were dead!" said James.

The man didn't say anything, but James killed him once again.

It was at this point he heard a demonic voice. "Thank you. You have freed me from my prison. I shall act independently from you, but only when I can." Said the voice.

"Who are you?" asked James.

"I am you. Just as you are me." Said the voice.

"What does that mean?" asked James.

"It is unimportant. However, this man was innocent, he did not kill your family. It was you who did this, but it was in defense. After your father had killed your sister, you killed him and your mother. Though it was in defense, so it was what needed to be done." Said the voice.

"I killed them?" said James.

"Yes, but you need not blame yourself." Said the voice before fading away.

James awoke from his daydream and sat up.

"The police. I need to get the police and clear my name. I can't go to prison." Said James. He practiced what he was going to say all the way to the police office and ran in crying. He told them his family was killed by a man he didn't recognize. They asked him what he looked like, but James gave the excuse that he didn't see his face, but he was tall. The police looked through their files and asked James if it was him. In order to clear his name, he said that he looked familiar. The police sent out a search party and captured the man quickly. James saw him and blamed him. The police took him to prison and James left the police station. He began walking through town and after many years of living on the streets, someone saw him kill a load of criminals.

"Hey kid. You got some real talent there. Ever think of taking up mercenary contracts?" said the man.

"Mercenary contracts?' asked James.

"Yeah. In fact, follow me. My name's Matt. What's yours?" asked the man.

James searched through his brain and decided to come up with an alias. "I go by Shade." said James, now adopting that name.

"Shade. Alright. Nice to meet you Shade." said Matt.

"The feeling is mutual Matt." Said Shade.

After walking for about 2 more minutes, they approached what looked like a jewelry store.

"This is my shop." Said Matt.

"Rings and Things? I thought you were talking about mercenary contracts?" asked Shade.

"I own a jewellery store, and I also handle mercenary contracts." Said Matt.

"Ok. I just think those thigs are quite different." Said Shade.

"Oh. Alright then." Said Matt, taking one off the bulletin board and handing it to Shade. "Try this one out."

Shade looked it over and nodded. "Got it." Said Shade, setting off on his first mercenary contract.

 **(Flashback end)**

Shade looked at the ground with a solemn expression on his face after finishing his story.

"So…it wasn't some bandit? It was you?" asked Weiss.

"Yes. It was me. I killed my adoptive parents." Said Shade, rubbing his eyes, not from tears, but from tiredness.

"Are you crying?" asked Velvet.

"No. Just tired from remembering that story." Said Shade.

No one else had anything to say. They looked at Neo, asking with their eyes if that was what she was talking about earlier. She just nodded.

"I understand if you can't trust me anymore. I killed them, and if not for the teachers stopping me, I would've killed everyone here as well. I'm too dangerous. I shouldn't even be alive. How can I be alive when I have no heart?" Said Shade, using that as a metaphor for him seeing himself as heartless.

"That's not true!" yelled Velvet.

"What?" asked Shade.

"That's not true at all. You aren't heartless. If you were heartless, you wouldn't feel bad about this. You wouldn't have any feelings of regret, sadness, and certainly no feelings of love." Said Velvet.

Shade seemed to be thinking about what Velvet had said.

"By the way, the teachers didn't stop you. Velvet did. She used the PA system to talk to you, and it worked. If you were heartless, it wouldn't have done anything. Her voice stopped your attack. You recognized her voice as a friendly one, and that is what allowed you to regain control." Said Ruby.

Shade looked at Velvet, and she nodded.

"That is what happened. So you must have feelings or you would have just continued your assault on Beacon, and Velvet talking wouldn't have done a thing." Said Coco.

Everyone began talking and gave reasons why Shade couldn't be heartless, but Shade didn't hear any of them. He was spaced out, focusing on what had happened during the attack. When he thought about it for a few minutes, he remembered Velvet's voice speaking to him, telling him to stop. Pleading with him to fight back.

"Shade? Are you even listening?" asked Yang.

"No, but I don't need to. You're right. I can't be heartless. I have feelings. Feelings of friendship, sadness, happiness, and even love." Said Shade, smiling.

Shade and all of his friends smiled at each other.

"Wait a second! We never got to go out for your birthday dinner!" said Sarah.

"You don't need to take me out for dinner. I already said that." Said Shade.

"No choice for you. We're taking you out." Said Yang, dragging Shade out of the room by his collar.

"Fine. Let's go then." Said Shade, giving up.

Everyone followed Shade, who was still being dragged, out of the room.

They boarded the airship to go into town. All the way into town, Blake and Weiss were holding hands. After landing in town, Velvet ran up to Shade.

"What is it Velvet?" asked Shade, worried that something was wrong with how fats she ran up to him.

"Nothing, but I remembered that we forgot to ask you what we wanted to know." Said Velvet.

"Oh right. What was that?" asked Shade.

"Well, after you left, Ozpin told us about your past, before Neo's family adopted you. He said that you were meant to start a group known as The Blood Brothers. Can you clarify anything about them?" asked Velvet.

"The Blood Brothers?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. Ozpin said that you were intended to be the start of them." Said Yang.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recognize that name at all." Said Shade, apologetically.

"It's alright. Give it time. Maybe you'll remember something later." Said Weiss, smiling.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself Weiss." Said Shade.

Weiss looked down to see that she was still holding hands with Blake. She looked at the cat faunus and blushed. Shade smiled at the scene.

"Looks like it'll work out between them." Whispered Ruby.

"I hope it does." Whispered Sun back.

"They really should be together." Whispered Velvet.

"Are you just saying that because that would mean that me and you would probably get together." Asked Shade in a quiet voice.

"No, of course not. At least not entirely." Said Velvet, looking away shyly.

Shade just smiled at her. "Too easy. But I do hope they end up together too. I'll really feel like an ass if they don't." said Shade.

"Why is that?" asked Velvet.

"Well, I'm the one who pressured her into admitting it." Said Shade.

"Oh, so you're worried that she'll fault you if it doesn't work out." Said Velvet.

"Got it on the first try." Said Shade.

The group of friends began walking into town. They soon came by a restaurant and they began to walk in.

"Hold it right there. I'm sorry, but you five are forbidden from entering." Said the owner, pointing to Shade, Blake, Velvet, Sun, and Sarah.

"May I ask why?" asked Shade.

"We do not serve your kind here." Said the owner.

"May I ask how you intend to stop us?" asked Shade.

The owner snapped his fingers and three large men came out of the restaurant.

"This is how." Said the owner.

Shade was about to draw his swords, but Weiss pushed past him.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Weiss.

The sight of Weiss shocked the owner. "Yes, I do." Said the owner.

"So you know how much influence I have?" asked Weiss again.

"Y-yes." Said the owner.

"So let me ask you again. May we enter?" asked Weiss.

"Yes of course. My apologies." Said the owner, letting them in.

"I could've taken them Weiss." Said Shade.

"No need for violence." Said Weiss.

"Alright." Said Shade.

The group of friends sat down and a waiter came over. The waiter took their orders and looked happy that the owner had allowed five faunus to enter.

"Thanks Weiss. I would've been much worse if you let Shade continue. No telling what he would've done." Said Sarah.

"Hey. I have some self-control." Said Shade.

"Yeah, but there is still a chance that the other one would come out." Said Weiss.

"Alright. That is a point that could be made, and it is valid. However, I can control myself most of the time." Said Shade.

"What about when-" Neo was cut off by Shade.

"You're really gonna bring that up now?" asked Shade.

"No, I guess not." Said Neo.

After a few more minutes their dinners got there. They ate and Weiss paid for their meals before Shade could. When Weiss put down her credit card, Shade put his back in his wallet and thanked his friends.

"Hey it was for your birthday. Of course you can't pay." Said Weiss.

With this the group of friends left the restaurant. They walked around town until someone called out to Shade. Shade turned around and saw Matt waving at him.

"Hey Matt. Wassup?" asked Shade.

"Just got a new contract in. Thought you might want to take a look." Said Matt.

"Alright. What's the job?" asked Shade.

"This." Said Matt, handing the contract to Shade.

"An extermination job huh?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. Heard that a very rich community has been under attack from a bunch of Grim and they are looking for someone to take care of it. You up for it?" asked Matt.

"Yeah, but I'm confused about something. This job has a 2/3 on it. What does that mean?" asked Shade. He had never seen this on a contract before.

"Yeah. This job has been deemed to unsafe for just one person to deal with, and two others have already signed up to help. They are waiting at the office. They showed up not that long ago, but they didn't have a partner, so they asked me if I knew anyone who might be up for it. I came straight after you." Explained Matt.

"I see. Hey guys? I'm gonna head off on this contract. I'll be back soon." Said Shade.

"Alright. See you Shade." said Cardin.

The rest of his friends waved as Shade walked off with Matt.

It didn't take long to get back to Matt's shop. Shade looked around and saw two people standing there. The first one was a boy. He was dressed in Japanese priest robes. He had short black hair and golden eyes. He had a large shield and an oddly-shaped blue double edged sword, and the hilt was split into two separate handles, with a magatama embedded in the sword's guard. Standing next to him was a girl that looked to be his sister. She had eyes of the same color, but her hair was crimson and long, tied in a messy ponytail. She wore a dark grey hakama-shita and hakama, with a light purple haori jacket over the top. The hakama-shita was loosely tiedand she has cloth wrapped around her body underneath. She was wearing boots and gauntlets from a set of extremely dark purple yoroi armor. She carried a tachi blade. It was longer and more curved than a katana, and worn with the blade facing down.

"I assume these two are my partners for this job?" asked Shade, eyeing the two up and down.

"Yes. This is Kami." He said gesturing to the boy. "This is his sister Risa." He said pointing to the girl. "Kami, Risa. This is my good friend Shade. I met him many years ago after watching him take down a group of criminals and we've been good friends ever since. Also, he's got a bit of a short temper." Said Matt, warning the two.

"Nice to meet you. Shade is a very interesting name." said Kami, extending his hand.

"Not the first time I've heard that." Said Shade. Shade wasn't sure why, but this boy seemed like someone he could become friends with. Shade extended his hand and gave Kami's a firm shake.

"Strong grip." Said Kami after Shade released his hand. Risa then approached Shade, seemingly hesitantly.

"Umm. N-nice to meet you Sh-Shade." said Risa, seeming to shudder when he turned his gaze to her.

"Sorry if I'm intimidating to you. I tend to get that reaction a lot." Said Shade, flashing a smile.

Risa brightened up quickly. "Alright, so what is your weapon? You've seen ours, only seems fair that we see yours." Said Risa.

Shade slowly drew his swords, and spun them in his hands skillfully. "These are my weapons." Said Shade.

"Anything we should know about your fighting style?" asked Kami.

"Usually very fast and precise strikes." Said Shade.

"I see. Anything that we should watch out for. You seem to have a secret." Said Kami.

"You're good. If I seem to lose my temper, just avoid me as much as possible. Trust me." Said Shade, flashing a half smile.

"Alright." Said Kami. Risa however, started shaking again.

"You don't need to be afraid Risa. I'm on your side, for now…" said Shade, intentionally trying to freak her out.

"Um, what do you mean by that?" asked Risa.

"I mean I'm trying to freak you out because it's too easy." Said Shade, turning around and smiling again.

"Do you have to do that?" asked Risa, seriously.

"Yes, I do." Said Shade.

Kami let out a chuckle.

"That wasn't funny Kami!" yelled Risa.

"I beg to differ." Said Shade.

They three already seemed to be getting along well.

"So, we should probably head off on this job. What are we looking at?" asked Shade, picking up the contract.

"Let's see." Said Kami, leaning in to look at the contract. 30 beowolves, 20 ursai, 10 boarbatusks, 5 nevermores, and 10 deathstakers.

"How crazy must the people be to live there?" asked Risa.

"I've dealt with worse." Said Shade cracking his knuckles.

"I already like this guy." Said Kami.

The three partners walked out and began their journey to the town that needed help. After an hour of walking they saw the village.

"Looks like our place." Said Shade, breaking off into a run. Kami and Risa weren't too far behind.

"You have a grim problem?" asked Shade. The people turned to him and said yes.

"I take it you are the people that have come to help?" asked one person.

"Yes." Said Kami.

"Alright. Follow us." Said two of the inhabitants, leading them to a path into a forest.

The three continued into the forest until they saw a bunch of beowolves grouped up.

"You ready?" asked Kami, but Shade already ran in and was slashing at anything he could hit. He had already taken down 10 beowolves by the time Kami and Risa caught up to him. It only took them another 2 minutes to finish off the twenty other beowolves.

"That takes care of the beowolves. Just a sec guys…' said Shade, closing his eyes and smelling the air deeply.

"You guys want to head for the ursai next or the boarbatuasks?" asked Shade .

"I guess the ursai." Said Kami. Risa agreed. Shade started walking in a direction, with Kami and Risa behind him. Shade saw a group of ursai and charged them. Kami and Risa right behind him. After Shade killed five ursai, he saw one about to attack Kami from behind.

"Kami! Duck!" yelled Shade, throwing his sword towards him. Kami ducked when he heard Shade yell, and one of his swords flew over him and embedded itself in the throat of the ursa. Shade then ran, grabbed his sword, flipping over the ursa, and plunging his sword into another one. He pulled his swords out and charged over to help Risa, who he just saw get attacked.

"Risa!" yelled Shade, killing an ursa that was about to attack her, and throwing his sword into another one.

"Dammit." Said Shade, panting after he an ursa attacked him from behind. The ursa had him pinned but a beam shot out of the magatama on Kami's weapon, killing the ursa. Shade thanked him with a nod and continued the attack on the ursa.

 **10 boarbatusks and 5 nevermores later**

"Good god. Too many grim." Said Kami, panting.

Risa couldn't even talk. She was panting as well.

Shade however, still seemed to be full of energy.

"How are you still standing? You're stamina is inhuman." Said Kami.

"I'll just say that there is a reason for that. That is the end of this discussion." Said Shade, looking into the distance.

"Alright. So, you ready to go after the deathstalkers?" asked Kami, standing back up.

"Yeah. Let's finish this job off." Said Risa, seeming to recover.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Shade leading them in a direction.

They had killed five deathstalkers, but they were getting low on energy.

"Look out!" yelled Shade. Kami ducked under one of the deathstalkers tail, just to get hit by another.

"Kami!" yelled his sister.

"Risa! Get Kami away from here and start heading back to the town! I'll finish this off." Said Shade. Risa nodded and Shade let his temper take control.

"What just happened?" asked Risa, picking up Kami and starting to run back to town. After running for three minutes Shade caught up with them.

"How did you kill them so easily?" asked Risa.

"I let my second side out." Said Shade.

"Second side?" asked Risa, and Shade gave her the basic run-down of it.

"A monster inside of you? Seems like something you wouldn't want to let out." Said Risa.

"It's not. I only let it out when I need to. Or when I get angry." Said Shade.

"Alright then. There's the town!" said Risa.

"I'll go ahead and tell them we need anti-venom." Said Shade, picking up the pace.

When Risa got back, there were already doctors there with a syringe. They gave Kami a shot, cleaned the wound and bandaged it up. They were told the needed to stay for a few hours. They agreed and followed the townspeople to town hall, where the mayor thanked them for their help and said that their reward had been sent to Matt's shop.

After three hours of waiting, Kami walked out looking just as good as he did before the sting.

"You ok Kami?' asked Shade.

"Yeah. Luckily they got me the anti-venom before the venom had gotten too far into my system. I assume the job is done?" asked Kami.

"Yeah. After you were stung, Shade finished them off alone." Said Risa.

"Really? How?" asked Kami, genuinely interested, and Shade told him exactly what he had told Risa.

"A monster huh?" asked Kami.

"Yeah." Said Shade.

"Alright then. I guess we should go claim our reward." Said Risa.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Shade, leading the other two out of the town.

"So, you're pretty strong Shade. Where did you learn to fight like that?" asked Risa, complimenting him.

"Well, I started being trained by my adoptive father, but recently I've been training at beacon academy with some friends of mine." Said Shade.

"Wait. You're enrolled at beacon academy?" asked Kami.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Shade.

"Well, you see…we've wanted to go to beacon academy for a long time." Said Risa.

"Really? Well if you want, I could try to get you two enrolled. I'm on pretty good terms with the headmaster, and he's a pretty laid-back guy." Said Shade.

"Really? We just met, and you would help us get enrolled in the top combat school in Remnant?" asked Kami, shocked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" asked Shade.

"Well, because we just met." Said Risa.

"So? We are friends aren't we?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, but still-" Shade cut off Kami.

"Just stop. Come on, were at Matt's place now. Let's get our reward." Said Shade. They entered and collected their reward of 2000 lien each. They pocketed their money and left for beacon.

When the airship landed, Kami and Risa were shocked at how big it was. Shade continued to lead them to Ozpin's office.

Shade knocked on the door to Ozpins office and he was told to come in.

"Hey Ozpin." Said Shade.

"Hello Shade. I trust your mission went well?" asked Ozpin.

"Of course. Now let me…" Shade looked to the side and saw that Kami and Risa weren't there.

"Just a second." Sad Shade walking out.

"Get in there!" said Shade.

"Why?" asked Kami.

"That is where the headmaster is. " said Shade.

"Why didn't you just say so?" asked Risa.

"There is a sign right there, saying that this is his office! I thought you would realize that!" said Shade, angrily.

"No need to yell." Said Kami.

"Just get in the room." Said Shade.

He led them in. "Now, let me introduce you. Headmaster Ozpin. Meet Kami and Risa. These two assisted me on my mission, and they were quite talented. On our way back, they found out that I was enrolled here at beacon, and I offered to bring them here to meet you." Said Shade.

"I see. I assume that they would like to enroll here?" asked Ozpin.

"Yes. We would." Said Kami.

"You will vouch for their abilities?" asked Ozpin, looking at Shade.

"Of course. I may even say they are almost as talented as me." Said Shade.

"I see. If you will vouch for their abilities, I will trust your judgement. Welcome to beacon academy!" said Ozpin.

"Just like that? No entrance exam?" asked Risa.

"No need for one. Shade has vouched for your abilities. That is more than enough." Said Ozpin.

"Thank you headmaster." Said Risa.

"In fact, if I'm not mistaken, we now have four students that aren't officially on a team. Just a moment." Said Ozpin.

"You calling my sis?" asked Shade.

"Yes." Said Ozpin.

"You have a sister too?" asked Kami.

"Yep. Not biological. Her name is Neo Politian." Said Shade.

They then heard footsteps on the hallway, and Neo entered. "Hey Shade? Care to introduce me to these two?" asked Neo.

"Sure. Neo, this is Kami and Risa." He said, gesturing to them in turn.

They both extended a hand to Neo and she shook their hands.

"So, why did you call me here headmaster?" asked Neo.

"Well, these two are now officially enrolled at beacon academy, and I was thinking of putting you four on a team." Said Ozpin.

"I see. Alright." Said Neo.

"You all agree to this arrangement?" asked Ozpin.

The other three nodded.

"Very well. The from here on you will be known as Team SPKR (Spectre). Led by Shade Hill.

They all nodded and got their scrolls. Kami and Risa went to the room, while Shade and Neo went to their old team's rooms to get their stuff.

As Shade walked in, he was tackled by Blake.

"Good god Blake. What is it?" asked Shade, getting up.

Shade looked around until he saw Weiss. She was smiling.

"Oh. I see. Congratulations." Said Shade, picking up his backpack and walking out.

"Wait, what? Where are you going?" asked Yang.

"Oh right. I got my own team now." Said Shade.

"Really? Who's on it?" asked Blake, still smiling widely at Shade.

"Me, Neo and two others that went with me on that contract." Said Shade.

"Can we meet them?" asked Ruby.

"Sure, come on." Said Shade, leading them out of the room.

Just as they left, Neo exited the room, with team JNPR.

"Them too huh?" asked Shade.

"Yeah." Said Neo.

The group walked through the halls until they got to the room. Shade walked in and set his backpack down. Just as he got in, Team RWBY and Team JNPR rushed in, followed by Neo.

"Hello Shade. Hello Neo. Hello other eight people who I do not know yet." Said Kami.

"These are our old teams and they wanted to meet you two." Said Shade.

"I see. Well then introduce us." Said Risa.

"Sure. Kami, Risa this is my old team, Team JNPR" said Neo.

"Nice to meet you two. I'm Jaune Arc. This is my girlfriend Pyrrha Nikos. This is Nora Valkyrie and her boyfriend Lie Ren." Said Jaune.

"Nice to meet you four." Said Kami.

Shade was about to introduce his team when he heard Ruby squeal. She jumped over the rest of her team and began bombarding Kami and Risa with questions about their weapons.

"Woah!" said Risa.

"Don't worry Risa. She's harmless." Said Shade.

Ruby looked back and apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Said Risa.

"Anyways. This is my old team. Team RWBY." Said Shade.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Ruby Rose. I'm also a bit of a weapon nut so…yeah. This is my sister Yang Xiao Long. The cat Faunus here is Blake Belladonna, and this is her girlfriend Weiss Schnee." Said Ruby, finishing introductions.

"Alright. So guys, this is Kami, and this is Risa." Said Shade, gesturing to each of them in turn.

"Nice to meet all of you." Said Kami.

"I agree." said Risa.

"So, we'll leave you to whatever you're going to do, but don't take too long. There are some more people who may want to meet you." Said Ruby, leading everyone out of the room.

"Alright. So you're old teams seem nice." Said Risa.

"Yes. Very energetic." Said Kami.

"That's for sure. I also couldn't help but notice that Shade's ex-team was an all-girl team. How many of them have you-" Shade cut off Risa here.

"I've dated two of them. I have not **done the deed** with any of them." Said Shade, already guessing what her questions would be.

"Alright. So how many people do we still have to meet?" asked Kami.

"In total there is 10. Two individuals and two teams." Said Shade.

"Alright. Let's not keep them waiting for too long." Said Kami, standing up with his sister.

"Yeah, let's go." Said Risa.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Shade, leading the team out of the room. 'So I actually have my own team. It's a damn good one too.' Thought Shade.

 **There we go! Chapter 20 done. I can't believe that this story has made it this far. I really need to thank each and every one of you guys and girls out there that are reading this. You are the reason that I am doing this, so thank you all very much. But for now, this chapter is done, and I will see you in the next one. Goodbye!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Just to let you know, I may not update either of my stories for a while after this chapter. I am still technically on hiatus, but this chapter was already planned and written, so decided to finish it up, when I got the chance. There is something else as well. Long story short, I went to the doctor and she thinks I may have a mild form of depression, so she recommended I start seeing a therapist, which means that I'll have less time to write. But enough of the serious talk, I have reviews!**

 **Valkerix: I thought so. But you are right. I didn't have a lot to go on.**

 **Writen: Really? I read it and it made sense to me. Of course I wrote it so it should, but either way.**

 **Blu3 Fir3: I see and I will make an attempt, but I can't promise anything.**

 **Anyways, I only own Shade and Lilian (Introduced in this chapter). Kami and Risa belong to my online friend Valkerix, as does the team name SPKR, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. Let's start the chapter already.**

Chapter 21:

Team SPKR left their dorm and began walking towards the cafeteria.

"So, what are your other friends like?" asked Kami, curious.

"One of the teams is a second year team, so a year ahead of us. Another team is still a first year and, although we are friends, we don't know them that well. Finally, we have-" Shade was cut off.

"SHADE!" yelled a voice from behind him.

Shade turned around to see his band members running after him, with a girl he didn't recognize. She had long silver hair, wore a pink trench coat with a red under shirt. She also wore a pair of pink short-shorts. She also wore pink shoes. Looking her over Shade didn't see a weapon anywhere.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" asked Shade.

"Great! While you were gone the four of us got put into a team!" said Sun.

"Really? Awesome! But, I'm afraid I don't know the new one? What's her name?" asked Shade.

"Oh right. Sorry. Shade, Neo, other two people, this is Lilian." Said Sarah.

"Nice to meet you Shade. I have heard a lot about you from these three." Said Lilian, in a very quiet voice.

"Nice to meet you as well Lilian. I suppose I should introduce these two. Sun, Sarah, Mercury, Lilian. Meet Kami and Risa, my new teammates." Said Shade, gesturing to them.

"Nice to meet you four. I must say, other than Mercury and Lilian, you guys look familiar. Were you in a band or something?" asked Kami.

"You noticed that too? I feel like we've seen Sarah and Sun somewhere before." Said Risa, thoughtfully, before seemingly realizing something.

"The Fighting Faunus! They're the guitarists!" yelled Risa.

"How did you notice that?" asked Sarah.

"You're both wearing fighting faunus shirts. We've never seen them before, so they must be new. The only ones who would have them would be the band members." Said Kami, explaining.

"So that's why you didn't know I was the lead singer." Said Shade.

"You were the lead singer?" asked Risa.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" asked Shade.

"Well, I mean, you don't look like the kind of person who would sing." Said Risa.

"It's Ok. I get that a lot." Said Shade.

"Anyways. You're on a team now?" asked Sun.

"Yeah. Team SPKR. How about you?" asked Shade.

"Team SSLM (Slam) **(AN-Literally the most creative team name I could think of. Now you know why I borrowed SPKR)**. I'm the leader." said Sun, proudly.

Sarah turned her face to Sun angrily.

"What's up Sarah?" asked Neo, confused.

"I'm the leader." Said Sarah, glaring at Sun.

"No you aren't! I am!" yelled Sun.

"Oh god. This again." Said Lilian.

"This happened before?" asked Kami.

"Yeah. Before Ozpin named the leader, they argued over who should be the leader." Said Lilian.

"Who is the leader?" asked Shade.

"Sarah. I don't think Sun is ready to accept that he lost to a girl." Said Mercury, shaking his head.

"Just a second." Said Shade.

Shade moved over to Sun calmly and punched him. "Sarah is the leader. If you can't accept that, you won't work well as a team." Said Shade.

"But-" Sun was cut off.

"No buts. All you can do is accept it." Said Shade.

"But…fine." Said Sun, defeated.

"There we go." Said Shade.

"So, the cafeteria?" asked Kami.

"Right. Let's go." said Neo, pulling Shade by the arm.

"I get it." Said Shade, pulling his arm free and leading the group to the cafeteria.

As Shade and Sarah's teams were walking to the cafeteria, they noticed a boy outside the window that they didn't recognize. All they could tell was that the boy seemed to be very tall.

"Anyone else see that?" asked Shade.

"I did. Any idea who he was?" asked Sun.

"No clue. Maybe a new student." Said Mercury.

"Hmm." Said Shade.

"Anyways. How much farther? I'm starving!" said Risa.

"Not much farther, but this is a big school. You're going to have to get used to a lot of walking." Said Sarah.

"I hate walking." Said Risa, grumbling.

"You'll get used to it." Said Shade.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask. What are all you're weapons?" asked Lilian.

"Right. I have these." said Shade pulling out his swords.

Kami, Risa and Neo all took out their weapons and showed them to Lilian.

"Nice weapons." Said Lilian.

"How about you? What is your weapon?" asked Shade, curious.

"I left it in my room. You'll see it soon enough." Said Lilian.

"Good enough for me." Said Kami.

"There it is." Said Shade, pointing to the cafeteria doors.

"Alright!" said Risa, running ahead.

"She always this excitable?" asked Shade.

"Unfortunately, yes." Said Kami, shaking his head.

"My god. We have two Rubies." Said Shade, eyes widening.

"Not really. From what I've seen, Ruby is always excited. Risa isn't excited all the time, just easily excitable." Said Kami.

"That's a relief." Said Shade, wiping his forehead. Just as he looked through the window, he locked eyes with Velvet

"HE'S HERE!" yelled Velvet.

"Yeah. He's here." Said Yang.

"YAY!" yelled Velvet.

"Get ready for an attack Shade." said Sun, smirking.

"She knows about Weiss and Blake." Said Mercury, smiling as well.

"What do you mean attack?" said Kami, about to pull out his weapon.

"Not that kind. The good kind of attack." Said Shade. Kami put away his weapon.

"There's a good kind?" asked Kami, skeptical.

"You'll see." Said Neo, grinning. Shade walked through the door, and Velvet was already there. The second Shade walked in, Velvet was already in his arms with her arms wrapped around his neck

"Hey Velvet. I guess you heard." Said Shade, smiling.

"I did. So does this mean…" said Velvet.

"If you still want it to." Said Shade.

Velvet simply kissed him. "I have been waiting for that for so long." Said Velvet.

"That answers my question." Said Shade, smiling.

Velvet simply kissed him again.

"I guess there is a good kind of attack." Said Kami, reminding Shade of the others existence.

"Oh right. You guys exist. Sorry. I was a bit…preoccupied." Said Shade.

Everyone heard Risa giggle in the background. Shade and the others walked over to the table, Velvet's arms still around his neck.

"Umm, Velvet?" asked Coco.

"Yeah?" asked Velvet back, before realizing that she still had Shade's neck in a death grip. "Sorry Shade." said Velvet.

"I wasn't complaining." Said Shade.

"Alright, enough of the mushy stuff. Introduce everyone!" said Cardin.

"Alright. It seems you are already acquainted with Risa. This is Kami. Guys this is Cardin, Russel, Dove and Sky. Team CRDL. Also, I'm sure you know Velvet. But these are her partners. Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox." Said Shade, finishing introductions.

"Pleasure to meet you." Said Kami.

"The pleasure is all ours." Said Velvet.

"With Shade, I bet you'll have some pleasure." Said Yang, making an inappropriate joke.

"God Yang. Your sister is sitting right next to you." Said Shade.

"What? She's happy that she's dating Shade right? Isn't that what she meant?" asked Ruby.

"Y-Yeah. Of course that's what she meant." said Shade, thankful that Ruby was still clueless.

"Anyways, I hear you four are on a team now." Said Cardin.

"Yeah. Team SPKR." Said Shade, nodding

"With Shade's semblance it actually kind of works." Said Ruby.

"That's right. What is your semblance?" asked Kami.

"Wait. Instead of telling them, how about showing them?" asked Pyrrha, a challenging look in her eyes.

"Pyrrha, there is no way he's going to accept a challenge from you. He already lost to you four years in a row." Said Yang.

"Alright. It's on. But are you sure?" asked Shade, grinning.

"Yeah. Let's show them how it goes when you actually use your semblance." Said Pyrrha.

"Alright then." Said Shade.

"Where are we going?" asked Risa with a mouth full of food.

"The training room." Said Coco.

"Alright. Lead the way." Said Kami.

Shade and the rest of the group, quickly finished their food and took off for the training room. When they arrived, Shade and Pyrrha drew their weapons as their friends sat in the stands.

Ruby started counting down from ten. When the countdown ended, Shade switched to a fire dust and charged at Pyrrha, slashing at her stomach. She blocked the slash with her shield and rolled over Shade's shoulder. When she landed she was met with another slash from Shade. Shade picked up the speed of his swings. Pyrrha was forced to stay on the defensive. Shade didn't stop attacking until Pyrrha grabbed his swords with her bare hands and kicked Shade away.

"A few seconds is all you got!" yelled Shade as he charged back at her, swinging his swords down on Pyrrha. However, Pyrrha used her semblance which was difficult to notice because, seeing as how Shade's swords were black, no glow appeared on them and moved them out of the way before hitting Shade in the face with her shield, causing a small cut. She then slashed at his stomach but Shade managed to move out of the way, but her shield hit him in the head, causing another cut, this one bleeding. The blood ran off his face and onto the floor.

"This again. Why does it only happen when I'm fighting you?" Asked Shade. He switched to ice dust and charged again, this time swinging his swords up. Once again, Pyrrha used her semblance to dodge them, but she couldn't stop Shade's foot from connecting with her stomach. Pyrrha bent over and Shade rolled over her and activated his semblance, dropping an ice copy on top of Pyrrha. It was too heavy and it caused her to fall down as it shattered on her.

"Where did he go?" asked Kami.

"Can't say. It would give Pyrrha an advantage." Said Ruby.

"Then whisper it." Said Risa.

"Alright. Look behind Pyrrha. See that shadow that doesn't have anyone to cast it? That's Shade." whispered Ruby.

"Is that what his semblance does? Invisibility?" asked Kami.

"No. He merged with his shadow. Just wait." Whispered Ruby.

As Ruby finished her sentence, Shade came out of the shadow and attacked Pyrrha. Pyrrha wasn't looking so Shade hit her on the back and flipped her over him, suplexing her, before switching to a fire dust and activating his semblance again. Pyrrha, attacked Shade's copy and it exploded. Shade came out of the ground and launched her into the air. He then jumped up and was about to send her back into the ground but, Pyrrha countered and sent Shade head first into the ground. Shade got back up and brushed himself off. Pyrrha threw her shield at Shade. Shade jumped over it, switched to ice dust again, and activated his semblance, leaving an ice copy. Pyrrha's shield came back and hit the ice copy, getting trapped in the ice. Shade came out next to Pyrrha.

"So, polarity huh?" asked Shade, figuring out how Pyrrha dodged his swords. Shade then started throwing punches and kicks, too fast for Pyrrha to dodge. Pyrrha kicked back when Shade jumped and spin kicked her in the face. Pyrrha got knocked over and when she tried to get back up, she found one of Shade's swords at her neck.

"I win." Said Shade, sheathing his swords and smiling.

"Well fought." Said Pyrrha.

"How were you able to beat her this time, but not during the tournament?" asked Weiss, asking the question everyone wanted to know.

"This time I used my semblance. I wasn't during the tournament. That's why she didn't know how to counter it." Said Shade.

"So, if you weren't holding back in the tournament, you would've won?" asked Ruby.

"Probably, yeah." Said Pyrrha.

"So, you aren't worse than Pyrrha, you're better than her?!" asked Yang, shocked.

"I guess, at least as long as we can both use our semblances." Said Shade.

After that, many more battles took place, and went on until Yang suggested team vs team battles.

"I'm in." said Shade.

"So are we." Said Kami, Risa and Neo.

"Alright. Who's going to fight them?" asked Yang.

No one offered.

"Well then. I guess we win by default." Said Shade, hoping to inspire someone to accept the challenge.

Still, no one accepted the challenge.

Shade sat back down.

"How about a triple threat? Siblings vs siblings vs siblings!" said Ruby excited.

"So me and Neo vs Kami and Risa vs you and Yang? I'm up for it." Said Shade, looking at his sister.

"Me too." Said Neo, looking back at her brother.

"Don't forget about us." Said Kami and Risa.

"Alright. Two vs Two vs Two. This'll be fun to watch." Said Nora.

They all fought hard, but due to the other two teams teaming up on Shade and Neo, they were eliminated first.

"Damn it." Said Neo.

"Smart. Getting rid of the strongest team first." Said Shade.

Shade and Neo left to go back to the stands.

Shade sat next to Velvet, and Neo sat next to Sarah.

"Hey Velvet." Said Shade.

Velvet responded by leaning on Shade's shoulder. Shade simply leaned back on Velvet.

"I was beginning to think this day would never come." Said Velvet.

"I know. But you don't need to worry anymore. The day has come, and I don't think it will end anytime soon. Right Shade?" Asked Weiss who was sitting next to Velvet.

"Of course." Said Shade.

"I feel like I need to thank you Weiss. Or rather, I should thank you both. If Blake hadn't confessed and you hadn't given her a chance, this wouldn't have happened. So, thank you." Said Velvet.

"Don't thank us. Our feelings are our own. Don't thank us for our feelings." Said Blake, smiling and kissing Weiss. Weiss kissed her back.

"I am going to say something. I can't believe your father is Ok with this Weiss." Said Shade, seemingly trying to make a joke until Weiss and Blake got a forlorn expression on her face.

"What happened?" asked Velvet.

"Well, we haven't exactly…told him yet." Said Weiss, almost whispering.

"Why not? If this is about her being a faunus, we already know he is Ok with it. So what could it be?" asked Shade.

"If it was just that she is a faunus I would've told him by now. But, I mean, Blake is also a girl. He's not exactly the most accepting about that, and he doesn't exactly know that I…you know…go…THAT way." Said Weiss.

"Oh. I see. You don't think he will accept her, so you're going to keep it a secret." Said Shade.

"Honestly, I think you should just tell him. Assuming he isn't Ok with it, the longer you wait to tell him, the harder it will be if he forces you to break up. However, assuming he is Ok with it, the less time you will have to stress over it." Said Sarah, reasoning with her.

"I agree, and if you will let me come along, I'll be willing to give you a bit of an, insurance policy, and I can personally promise you, he'll at least give Blake a chance. I NEVER break a promise, and I don't intend to start now." said Shade, more serious than he had ever been before.

"Really? How can you be so sure?" asked Blake.

"I can't tell you why yet. So, will you tell him?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. We'll tell him once the fight is done." Said Weiss.

"Alright." Said Shade, turning back to the fight, just to see Ruby and Yang on the ground, with Kami and Risa standing tall.

"Well, looks like it's over now. Ready girls?" asked Shade, smirking.

"Already?! Well, alright Shade. Let's go Blake." Said Weiss.

"Hey! Kami! Risa! I need to give Weiss and Blake a hand with something real quick. I'll see you later." Said Shade, following the couple out of the room. They led him to the library.

"Ready? Shade, could you stay out of the shot and act like it was a coincidence that you were here at the same time? I don't want hi. Thinking we brought you along for help." Said Weiss.

"Of course. I'll just sit over here. I still want to hear this conversation." Said Shade, sitting on the other side of the table across from Weiss.

"Ready Blake?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Said Blake.

Weiss hit the call button, and it was answered quickly.

"Hello Weiss. What is it?" asked Weiss.

"I called to tell you a couple things." Said Weiss.

"Alright. Then speak." Said Weiss' father.

"Well, the first thing is, me and Shade broke up." Said Weiss.

"Ah. I see. I'm sorry Weiss. I know how you felt about him. However, not all relationships work out. I hope you are still friends." Said Weiss' father.

"Of course." Said Weiss.

"Very well. What is the second piece of information you needed to tell me?" asked Weiss father.

"Well, it kind of involves my friend here. This is Blake Belladonna." Said Weiss.

"What might it be?" asked Weiss' father, skeptical.

"Well, you see, the thing is, we are kind of, together. We're in love." Said Weiss.

"I beg your pardon." Asked Weiss' father.

'He sounds mad' thought Shade, getting up and preparing to make his entrance.

"We are in love with each other." Said Weiss.

"I see. Well, I am sorry for this, but I'm afraid I cannot allow this relationship to continue." Said Weiss' father.

"But father-" Weiss was cut off.

"No buts. I simply cannot allow this." Said her father.

Hearing this, Shade revealed himself. He was hiding behind a bookshelf behind Weiss and Blake. HE put a finger in front of his mouth when Weiss' father noticed him.

After getting right behind Weiss, he grabbed her from behind and shouted.

"AH!" yelled Weiss and Blake.

"HA! Sorry. The opportunity was too perfect. So, what are you talking about here?" asked Shade.

"Well, we were talking about me and Blake." Said Weiss.

"Oh really? How'd it go?" asked Shade, feigning ignorance.

"I'm sorry, but we can't disclose that information." Said Weiss' father.

"Why not? I just want to know." Asked Shade.

"It would be rude to deny a good friend a request wouldn't it father?" asked Weiss.

"Well, I suppose." Said Weiss' father, knowing he was beaten.

"Well? What's the verdict?" asked Shade.

"No. We can't be together." Said Weiss, depressed, waiting for her insurance to pay off.

"Why not? Aren't you two in love?" asked Shade.

"Of course we are, but Weiss' father said we couldn't be." Said Blake, also waiting for the insurance to kick in.

"Wait, you aren't even willing to give Blake a chance with Weiss?" asked Shade, addressing Weiss' father.

"Why should I?" asked Weiss' father.

"The simple fact that your own daughter is in love isn't enough for you? What other reason do you need to at least give her a chance?" asked Shade.

"I hear what you are saying, however, I simply cannot allow this to continue." Said Weiss' father.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to give Blake a chance." Said Shade.

"I'm sorry Shade, but I'm afraid I cannot." Said Weiss' father.

"Alright, I understand." Said Shade, nodding. Weiss and Blake were ready to slap Shade, but Shade continued before they could. "I didn't want it to come to this but I see I have no other choice." Said Shade.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Weiss' father, perplexed.

"Well you see, if I am not mistaken, you still owe me a favor. I'd like to cash it in. I want you to give Blake a chance." Said Shade, smiling.

"I don't believe that-" Shade cut off Weiss' father.

"When I was granted this favor, I believe you said 'When you need a favor, call me, and you will get it.' Well, I need a favor, I called you, and I expect to get it." Said Shade.

Weiss and Blake were shocked that Shade was willing to give up a favor that could be literally anything he wanted for the sake of their relationship. Weiss' father was also shocked.

Weiss' father then sighed. "You will vouch for this girl? You believe that she is a suitable partner for my daughter?" asked Weiss' father.

"Of course I do. I may even say she is more suited for her than I am. So, are you willing to give Blake a chance?" asked Shade, once more.

Weiss' father let out a deep sigh once again. "Yes. I will give Blake a chance." Said Weiss' father.

Weiss and Blake weren't sure what to say for a second. "R-Really? You'll give Blake a chance?" asked Weiss.

"Yes. I will give your girlfriend a chance. I would like to meet her as soon as possible." Said Weiss' father.

"Thank you Mr. Schnee. I am truly grateful for this opportunity." Said Blake, expressing her gratitude.

"I do hope I am not making a mistake." Said Weiss' father.

"I will take the blame if anything happens." Said Shade.

"Very well. Is that all you wished to speak with me about?" asked Weiss' father.

"Yes father." Said Weiss.

"Very well. Goodbye." Said Weiss' father, hanging up.

The second the call ended Weiss and Blake jumped out of their chairs and tackled Shade in a large group hug.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" Yelled the two girls.

"No need for thanks. I only did what I believe was right. No more, no less." Said Shade.

"Maybe to you that is what you did. But to us, you made us happier than we ever believed we could be." Said Weiss.

"Hey I promised I would get your father to give Blake a chance, and I did. Like I said, I never break a promise, and I didn't intend to start now. I just want you to promise me something Blake." Said Shade, smirking.

"Of course, anything Shade." said Blake.

"Just promise me you won't ruin this opportunity." Said Shade.

"Of course. I promise." Said Blake.

"Thank you again Shade." said Weiss, still grateful.

"Please. Stop thanking me. You're embarrassing me." Said Shade.

"Alright. I'll stop. …For now." Said Weiss.

"Whatever." Said Shade.

"But really. This does mean a lot to us." Said Blake.

"Alright. I get it. Now, I'm sure our friends would like to know how this went. Shall we tell them?" asked Shade.

"Oh yeah! Let's go!" said Blake.

On the way back to their friends, Shade received a message from Ozpin. It simply said to come to his office.

"Hey guys? I gotta go see Ozpin. I'll catch up when I can, Ok." Said Shade.

"Alright. See you soon." Said Shade.

Shade began heading to Ozpin's office. When he walked in, he saw Ozpin observing a video that was projected on the wall. It showed a figure he didn't recognize massacring an entire village full of people. Shade wasn't sure why, but that village seemed familiar to him.

"Brutal isn't it?" asked Ozpin when the video ended.

"Very. What a waste of human and faunus life." Said Shade.

"I agree." Said Ozpin, turning to face Shade.

"So. I assume you didn't call me just to show me a video of a psychopath massacring an entire village of people." Said Shade.

"You are partially correct. You referred to him as a psychopath. How do you know that he was the aggressor? What if I told you that the village people were the ones at fault? That they deserved what they got?" asked Ozpin.

"I see what you mean. I don't know that man's past, so I shouldn't be so quick to judge him." Said Shade.

"I see. Would you like to know who that boy was? Asked Ozpin.

"I don't see why I would, but I assume there is a reason for me to know, so very well." Said Shade.

"That boy was known by the codename "PA3729". His birth name was known by very few people, and never released to the public." Said Ozpin.

"What does that mean? I mean the PA part. I assume he was the 3729th of something based on the number, but I would like to know the 3729th of what." Said Shade.

"The PA at the beginning of the codename stood for patient." Said Ozpin.

"Patient? Was he admitted to a hospital of mental institution of some sort?" asked Shade, suddenly intrigued by the boy.

"If I might state something here. How old do you assume the boy in this video was? Just as a guess?" Asked Ozpin.

"As a guess, I would assume somewhere around 20-25 years of age." guessed Shade.

"No. At the time this video was taken, this boy was a mere four years of age." Said Ozpin.

"Only four?!" asked Shade, shocked.

"Yes. After this video was taken, the boy was sent to a mental institution in Atlas. He remained there for a total of three years, before being released on the ground that he was safe for the public." Said Ozpin.

"Really? So he was released at the age of seven. I assume it was a relatively new institution if he was only the 3729th patient to be admitted there." Said Shade.

"Yes, that would be true, if that was his patient number at the institution. At the institution his patient number was 11047." Said Ozpin.

"If that wasn't his patient number for the mental institution, then what was it for?" asked Shade.

"I will explain that later." Said Ozpin.

"Very well. Continue. He was released at the age of seven." Said Shade, starting the story again.

"Yes, however, he had nowhere to go. He was eventually found by a family who adopted him at that point, however, that family was murdered and even though the boy's body was not found at the scene, many believe him to be dead." Said Ozpin.

"I assume you aren't telling me this for no reason." Said Shade.

"Of course I'm not. As I said, very few people know his real name. Though it was never released to the public, and most of the people who knew it were murdered, one person still lives." Said Ozpin.

"Really? How are you so sure?" asked Shade.

"I am sure because I am that one." Said Ozpin.

"It all makes sense. That is how you knew so much about him." Said Shade.

"Yes. Would you like to know his birth name?" asked Ozpin.

"Not particularly, but I feel like you will tell me anyways." Said Shade.

"No. That part is not important. Now, you would like to know what the number 3729 means right?" asked Ozpin.

"Yes, I would." Said Shade.

"Very well. He was the 3729th attempt at making a genetically modified grim hybrid, and the first success." Said Ozpin.

"A-A genetically modified grim hybrid? Why would someone want to make that?" asked Shade.

"The ones who wanted his creation wanted to create a new "Super-species" so to say. There were only a handful of co-operators who weren't very interested in the super-species, but only wished to see if it was possible." Said Ozpin.

"I see, but how would you know this headmaster? I mean I may not know anything about this, but this sounds like something that wouldn't be reported on or even well known." Said Shade.

"Of course. It wasn't I know because I was one of those co-operators that wanted to see if it was possible, and evidently it was." Said Ozpin.

"I see, but that brings me back to the beginning. Why did you need to tell me this?" asked Shade.

"Well, remember how I said he was believed to be dead?" asked Ozpin.

"Yes. Why?" asked Shade.

"Well, as it turns out, he isn't dead. He is alive and well." Said Ozpin.

"Are you sure?" asked Shade.

"Never more sure." Said Ozpin.

"Well, is he still dangerous?" asked Shade.

"Some believe him to be." Said Ozpin.

"Well then shouldn't we go out and finish him off?" asked Shade.

"That does sound smart if he is still dangerous." Said Ozpin.

"Well the lets go. Does he have any weaknesses?" asked Shade.

"If I may say one more thing, I don't know if he has any weaknesses, however, you may." Said Ozpin, confusing Shade.

"What do you mean? I've never even met him before. How would I know his weaknesses?" asked Shade.

"That is quite simple. You are the only one who knows his weaknesses because… you and that boy…are one and the same." Said Shade.

Shade was frozen in place. He couldn't even respond to what he had just heard. He was that psycho? He destroyed that village full people? He was a genetically modified grim hybrid? All these questions circled his head over and over as he tried to find any evidence that would prove any of those questions false, but he couldn't find any. The only thing that could possibly prove them wrong was that he didn't remember any of that, but then again, he didn't remember anything before he was adopted by Neo's family when he was seven. As he thought back on Ozpin's story, the story perfectly aligned with his life with Neo's family.

"What does this mean?" asked Shade, finally speaking.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by that." Said Ozpin.

"I mean, is that true? If it is, then what am I? Am I just a simple monster? An experiment? A demon? What does it mean?!" asked Shade, beginning to lose his patience.

"Yes. It is true. However, it doesn't mean you are a monster or demon. However, as for being an experiment, I cannot truthfully tell you that you are not one. You are an experiment." Said Ozpin.

"I want to know something." Said Shade, looking into the distance.

"Of course, I can imagine you have many questions." Said Ozpin.

"Yes, but this is the only one I need answered right now. The mental institution. Is that why I don't remember anything before age seven?" asked Shade.

"Yes. It is. The name of the institution was "Rolling Hills Mental Institution." Said Ozpin.

"Thank you Ozpin. May I go?" asked Shade.

"Yes, you may. I imagine you have a lot to think on." Said Ozpin.

"Yeah." Said Shade, leaving Ozpin's office.

"I can't believe it. A grim hybrid. Unbelievable. However, maybe I can figure some things out. I just need my files from that mental institution. The only problem is actually getting them. Surely I can't just walk in and ask for them, but then how could I get my hands on them?" asked Shade, walking around the halls.

"Get your hands on what?" asked Weiss, who had found Shade in the hall.

Shade would normally crack a joke, but instead he just stared at Weiss, seemingly thinking deeply.

"You're from Atlas right?" asked Shade.

"That was random, but yeah. Why?" asked Weiss.

"I need your help with something. There is a mental institution in Atlas called "Rolling Hills Mental Institution". I need the files for patient number 11047. It's very important. Can you help me?" asked Shade.

"Um, yeah. I should be able to get them. But, may I ask why?" asked Weiss.

"Really, I would love to tell you, but I just can't right now. I'm sorry. Just trust me, I need those files." Said Shade.

"Alright. If they are that important, I won't pry. I'll try to get them to you by tomorrow morning." said Weiss.

"Thank you Weiss. This means a lot to me." Said Shade.

"It's the least I could do after you convinced my father to give Blake a chance." Said Weiss.

"Alright. I'm going to head to my team room. Talk to you later." Said Shade, heading for his team's room. When he got there, he saw that all his teammates were sound asleep and collapsed into his own bed before falling asleep. Meanwhile, Weiss was making a call to the owner of Rolling Hills.

"Hello. Rolling Hills Mental Institution. How may I help you?" asked a cheery voice on the other end.

Weiss knew that she would have to lie in order to get the files. "Hello. I am calling on behalf of Beacon Academy. We have recently discovered one of our students was admitted to your institution. We would like to know if you could send his files to Beacon academy so that we may find out why he was admitted." Said Weiss, making a very convincing lie.

"Yes of course. We will send them overnight. They should arrive at around eight o'clock." Said the owner.

"Thank you very much." Said Weiss.

"You are welcome. Will that be all?" asked the owner.

"Yes. It will." Said Weiss.

"I see. Farewell." Said the owner hanging up.

"Whew. That should take care of that. Wonder why he needed those files? I'm sure he has a reason for it. He'll tell us all eventually." Said Weiss, before falling asleep.

The next day, Weiss left early to pick up the files. When she arrived the files had just arrived. She accepted the package and brought it to Shade's dorm. She knocked on the door twice before Shade came to the door.

"Hey Shade. I got those files for you." Said Weiss, holding out the files.

"Thank you." Said Shade taking the files and getting his scroll.

"Where are you going?" asked Weiss.

"Library. Need a quiet place to read these." Said Shade.

"May I ask why you wanted those particular files?" asked Weiss.

"Alright, as long as you swear not to tell anyone about this." Said Shade.

"Alright. I promise." Said Weiss.

"Well, the thing is. I was admitted to that mental institution. My patient number was 11047." Said Shade.

Weiss immediately realized what that meant. "Those are your files." Said Weiss.

"Yeah. I'm hoping that there may be something in them that could help me uncover a little about my past." Said Shade.

"May I ask another question?" asked Weiss.

"Of course." Said Shade.

"Are you letting anybody else know about this?" asked Weiss.

"I'm not sure if I should yet. If I was I would probably limit it to Velvet and your team. You are the only ones I trust enough for something like this." Said Shade.

"Not even your own team." Said Weiss.

"No. I trust them a great deal due to necessity, but I just don't think I'm close enough to them for this yet." Said Shade.

"Not even Neo?" asked Weiss.

"Not even Neo." confirmed Shade.

"Must be serious." Said Weiss.

"It is. That's why you can't tell anyone about this. If anyone asks where I am, just tell them I went into town because Matt needed me for a contract Ok?" asked Shade.

"Of course." Said Weiss.

"Thank you." Said Shade, leaving for the library with files in hand.

When shade arrived at the library he found a table isolated in the back. He thought that would be a good place. He sat down and began reading.

"Let's see here. Patient number 11047. Given name: Unknown . Family name: Hill Birth date: Unknown. Age: 4 years Gender: Male Condition: Believes himself to have been created in a lab. Suffers from recurring nightmares of a burning village filled with corpses. Believes to have been behind a mass murder. Screams in fear when confronted by fire, however all brain scans and MRI tests have revealed him to be in complete control of brain functions during these sessions. Calms down when music is played loudly. The louder the music, the more calm he seems. The genre of music also seems to have an effect on how calm he is. Rock is the most calming, while Jazz barely does anything. Once again, his brain scans and MRI tests have shown him to be in complete control of his brain functions. All attempts for doctors to communicate with the patient have resulted in violence, however when a doctor takes off his lab coat, he calms down and speaks to us, and he doesn't make any attacks at the doctor. While asleep and seemingly dreaming, he often calls out the name 'Reese Mars' in a threatening tone. We can assume this man was not someone whom the patient was fond of, but when questioned about him, he adopts a look of what can only be described as disgust and betrayal. He then looks at his hands and says 'He is the man, no, the creature who did THIS to me'. However, upon observing his hands, they have no marks. Whenever asked about his past he simply talks about how he was created in a lab for the purpose of killing. He speaks of how all he will ever do is kill, and that nothing and nobody will ever be able to stop him. Diagnosis: Seemingly mentally unstable Recommended Treatment: Complete memory wipe is the only option. He must lose all memories of his past so as to make sure he does not confuse reality with fantasy any longer.

-Dr. A. Politian"

Shade tried to remember who A. Politian could be, but the only name he could recall was Neo's mother, Audrey Politian, and he was told she was an accountant. "Could they have been lying to me?" asked Shade. He didn't want to believe it, but if this was written by his adoptive mother, it would make sense for them to lie to him, in fear of jogging my memory and having me relapse into 'Mental Instability" as it was written.

"Hey Shade!" yelled cheery voice behind him.

Shade turned around to see Ruby behind him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Ruby!" said Shade.

"Sorry Shade. So, what are you reading?" asked Ruby.

"Nothing important." Said Shade, shoving the file into the backpack at his feet.

Ruby looked over Shade's shoulder, but with the file in his backpack, she couldn't see anything.

"Alright, you wanna come train with everyone?" asked Ruby, but Shade shook his head.

"No. Matt said he needed me for a contract, so I was just about to head out." Said Shade.

"Weiss said you had already taken care of that." Said Ruby, growing suspicious.

"Yeah, I did the first one, but he sent me another one. I was just on my way out." Said Shade.

"Oh ok. So, I'll see you later?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah for sure." Said Shade, walking out.

'Hmm?' thought Ruby as she noticed something sticking out of Shade's backpack. She quickly reached into his backpack and pulled it out. It appeared to be a file from a mental institution. She quickly shoved it into her own backpack. Luckily Shade didn't seem to notice anything. After leaving the library, Shade left for the airships.

"Phew. Thank god she didn't notice anything. That's a relief." Said Shade. He landed in town. He went to a quiet café he had never been to before so he could continue reading the files, but when he looked in his backpack, he didn't see it anywhere.

"Where are the files?" asked Shade. He thought he must have dropped them somewhere in town. He began to retrace his steps, but couldn't find his files anywhere. "Could it have been Ruby? No, I didn't feel anything. Where could they be?' asked Shade.

Meanwhile at beacon, Ruby was in her room, looking over the files.

"What does all this mean?" she asked herself as she read. Based off the initial diagnosis sheet she could tell the patient had an apparent fear of fire, a love of music and a strong hatred towards doctors. However, based off the individual doctor's notes, the boy seemed mentally stable other than his ridiculous fantasy backstory. She had apparently pushed against a complete memory wipe, but she had been outvoted. After the memory wipe she was put in charge of teaching the boy everything he had forgotten. It was as if he had been "reduced to the intelligence of an infant" once again. Luckily he was a quick learner.

'I wonder why Shade had these, why he was studying them, why he lied about it, and most importantly, why he didn't tell anyone else about it.' Thought Ruby, but she was sure he had a reason. 'I guess I should just wait for him to say something. Meanwhile, I need to hide them.' Thought Ruby. She hid them in her private cookie stash. 'I guess the best thing to do is wait for Shade.' thought Ruby. 'But why didn't he want us to know about it. What could be the reason?'

 **There we go! Chapter 21. Something I really want reviews on is how you think I did on the mental institution part of this. I just want to know how well you think I did on it. I hope it was at least half decent. But anyways, thank you for reading, remember to leave me a review of what you thought of this chapter, as well as any ideas you have for a future chapter. But for now, this chapter is done, and I hope you will stay tuned for the next one, which may be a little while away. Goodbye.**


	22. Chapter 22

**... I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Hello everybody and welcome back to RWBY: A Demon's Life! Before I start I just wanted to say thank you all for being patient while I got over this depression. All I can say is that my depression isn't completely gone yet, but I have some anti-depressants so if it tries to take me over again, I am prepared to go to war! Also I noticed something a little while ago. I didn't title chapter 21. I'm dumb. But whatever! No new reviews, I only own Shade and Lilian, Kannon belongs to** **kannonballdude** **,** **so straight to the chapter!**

Chapter 22: Attack on Beacon?

 **In an unknown area**

"We've found him." Said a grunt talking to the leader.

"Are you sure it was him?" asked the leader, in a deep voice.

"Of course." Said the grunt.

"I see." Said the leader.

"What shall we do?" asked the grunt.

"Nothing. Not yet. We must be patient. Keep a scout on him. Wait for an opportunity." Said the leader.

"Understood." Said the grunt, leaving.

"Hmph. You thought you could hide from us?" asked the leader, shaking his head.

 **Back in Vale**

"Where could they be?!" asked Shade, confused. "I had them when I left…right? Ruby didn't take them… right?" asked Shade.

"Take what?" asked a voice behind Shade.

"Huh? Oh, hey Yang." Said Shade, before continuing his search.

"What did Ruby take?" asked Yang.

"I don't know if she took anything. Not yet at least. When did you get here anyways?" asked Shade.

"Not long after you. I saw you leave beacon so I followed you." Said Yang.

"Did you happen to see anything that looked like files fall out of my backpack?" asked Shade, hoping she had.

"Files? No, why?" asked Yang, curious.

"I had some files in my backpack, but when I got here they were gone. I figure that I either dropped them, or Ruby took them when I wasn't looking." Said Shade.

"If you want me to, I can go back to the dorm and see if Ruby has them." Said Yang.

"Please do. If she does, please tell her not to read them. Just to bring them right back to me ASAP ok?" asked Shade.

"Alright sure." Said Yang, not understanding why they were so important.

"Thanks Yang. It's really important. I can't tell you why yet, but I need you to trust me, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Of course." Said Yang.

"Thanks a million Yang." Said Shade.

After Yang had left, Shade continued his search around town, and saw someone he didn't recognize, but when he looked back, he assumed it was just a trick of the light.

When Yang arrived back at beacon she went straight to her dorm, to see Ruby on her bed staring at the ceiling as if thinking deeply about something.

"Hey sis!" said Yang.

"Hm. Oh, hey Yang." Said Ruby quickly before turning back to the ceiling.

"You didn't happen to take any files out of Shade's backpack did you?" asked Yang.

"What? No, why would I do that?" asked Ruby.

"1, because I know you would be curious about them if you saw them. 2, Shade said you specifically when he said someone who would take them. 3, I saw you take them before Shade left." Said Yang.

"Alright, I took them." Said Ruby.

"Did you read any of them?" asked Yang.

"Yeah. I read everything." Admitted Ruby.

"You need to forget everything you read, and give those back to Shade as soon as he gets back." Said Yang.

"But Yang-" but Ruby was cut off by Neo, Kami, and Risa entering the room, looking for Shade.

"Hey guys. What's up?" asked Yang.

"We're looking for Shade. Have you seen him?" asked Risa.

"Yeah. He went into town to work on a contract for Matt. At least that's what Weiss said. I also saw him. It seemed like he had just finished one. His look was one of shock." Said Yang.

"He told me that too." Said Ruby.

"Yeah, but we called Matt, and he said Shade never came there today." Said Risa.

Yang and Ruby were both concerned. If Shade didn't go into town to do a job for Matt, why did he?

"Do either of you know what reason he could have to leave without telling anyone why, cause I can't." asked Neo.

"Well, it might have something to do with these." Said Ruby taking out the files.

"What are those?" asked Kami, eyeing the folder.

"They're files from a mental asylum. I don't know whose they are about, but Shade was reading them in the library before he left. He hid them when he saw me there though. Then he left for town." Said Ruby.

"Strange. What do they say?" asked Kami.

"Wait. When I saw Shade in town he said that he didn't want anyone to read these." Said Yang.

"He told me that when I got them for him too." Said an angry voice from the doorway.

Everyone looked to the doorway to see a very angry Weiss standing there. Before anyone could react Weiss had the folder.

"If he hid them from us, don't you think he had a reason?" asked Weiss.

"Well, yeah, but why?" asked Ruby.

"I know why, but I promised him I wouldn't say anything." Said Weiss.

"Alright." Said Yang before a male voice came from behind Weiss.

"I knew I could trust you Weiss." Said the voice.

Everyone looked behind Weiss, to see Shade standing there looking at everyone but Weiss with a look of barely supressed anger.

"Oh, you're here. Here you go Shade." said Weiss, handing him the folder. Shade quickly stored it in his backpack.

"Thanks Weiss." Said Shade, before turning back to everyone else. "Did anyone read anything?" asked Shade.

"NO!" yelled Ruby, just making herself more suspicious.

"Oh really? Why would you take them if not to read them?" asked Shade.

"Well…um…because…" Ruby struggled to answer.

"Now, let me ask again. Did anyone read anything?" asked Shade, looking at Ruby.

"Yes. I read them all. But no one else did." Said Ruby.

"I see. You couldn't wait until I finished reading them could you." Said Shade.

"No. I just wanted to know why you were hiding them, and to be fair, I still don't know why. I just know what was in the files." Said Ruby.

"I see. Well, I'm going to head to the library and continue. Ruby, you need to forget everything in those files. You have no reason to know anything that was in those files." Said Shade sternly.

"How can I? Telling me to forget it just makes it harder to forget." Said Ruby.

"I see. Just don't disturb me while I'm reading then, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Of course." Said Ruby.

"Goodbye." Said Shade.

With that Shade left, and even though he seemed fine with it, everyone could tell he was still mad at Ruby.

"You shouldn't have read those files Ruby. He had a reason not to tell any of us about those." Said Weiss laving as well.

"Yeah. You shouldn't have even taken them." Said Yang.

"But how did Weiss know about them?" asked Ruby. "She would've had to have taken them at some point too!" said Ruby.

"I only know about them because I got them for him." Said Weiss.

"Oh." Said Ruby.

"Why did you read them Ruby?" asked Neo.

"Yeah. It was clear he didn't want anyone else to see them." Said Weiss.

"I just wanted to know. When I saw him after he had read them he had an indescribable look on his face. Almost as if he found out his whole life had been a lie." Said Ruby, trying to explain it.

"Hm. I wonder…" said Yang before trailing off.

"What?" asked Risa.

"I was just thinking, maybe Ozpin would know something." Said Yang.

"Why would the headmaster know something?" asked Kami.

"Two reasons. First, he had called Shade to his office before Shade got those files. Second, he knows some things about Shade's past that Shade didn't even know. Maybe he knows about this." Said Yang.

"A reasonable assumption Yang, but Shade is already mad. He may have tried to hide it, but he is really mad." Said Weiss.

"Exactly, which is why we ask now. He can't be any angrier at us, so we do this now before he forgives us." Said Yang.

"Not a good idea Yang. If there is one thing I know about Shade, it is that his anger has no limit. This may push him over the edge, and we all saw what happened last time. Well, other than Kami and Risa, and I would like to keep them from witnessing that sight." Said Neo.

"Alright. Then we won't ask Ozpin yet." Said Yang, defeated.

After Shade had gotten back to the library, he sat at the same desk and pulled out the folder, and continued.

"Let's see. Doctor's notes." Said Shade, taking out the notes.

"Doctor's note 1. July 1st 19XX. Patient 11047.

The patient was dropped off early today. He seemed to be in perfect metal condition, but after observing his behavior around so many doctors, it seems his mental state is quite questionable. He tried to attack every doctor he saw, so he needed to be restrained. It would appear that he has an issue with doctors. After he was placed in his room, his demeanor changed quickly. His face calmed, but after a doctor came to see him, he attacked again. The doctor needed to be pulled out of the room to prevent the boy from killing him, which it seems he was intent on doing. It would seem we should not attempt to converse with him in person. We will conduct more tests tomorrow. I don't like the way I see this ending.

Dr. A. Politian."

"Alright. First day and already an attempted murder. What the hell did they do to me? To make me hate doctors this much." Said Shade.

"Doctor's note 2. July 2 19XX. Patient 11047.

 **Warning! Brutal murder described here! You have been warned!**

Early this morning, a doctor was found mutilated in the boy's room. His entire body was covered with claw marks, gashes as well as countless stab marks. It would seem the boy finished him off by ripping out his throat. The man had a large hole in his chest, and his heart was on the floor next to the boy. The boy had blood caked all over his body. There was blood and dead skin under his nails. His teeth were also covered in blood. He held a bloody knife in his hand. After looking into his eyes, they showed absolutely no remorse for what he had done. However, they were not emotionless, although I almost wish they were. They only showed joy. Happiness. Glee. Almost sickening giddiness. He didn't regret what he did. In fact, he was happy with it. After glancing at the rest of us, he calmed down. Then he smiled. His only words were 'I tried to warn him. But he wouldn't listen. I told him all I would do is kill, but he wouldn't listen. I needed to prove it to him. I'm happy I was able to prove him wrong. But he deserved it. He wears the same coat as that monster. It was his fault I am like this.' After hearing this, I sent in a man in a lab coat. After the doctor was pulled out, he went back in, in normal clothes, and the boy didn't advance at all. It seemed he didn't have a problem with doctors, so much as a problem with men in lab coats. Tomorrow, I will attempt to converse with him.

Dr. A. Politian."

 **OK, no more gruesome.**

"Well, that was gruesome. I just killed him? With no reason…well, no real reason." Said Shade, shocked.

As Shade read on and on, he learned that the conversations had gone over well when she was not in a lab coat. In fact, he seemed to be in a good mood whenever he saw her, so long as she wasn't wearing a lab coat. The notes went on to describe that the doctor had pushed against a full memory wipe, but she was overruled, and tasked with teaching the boy, Shade, everything he would've forgotten. It explained why he couldn't remember anything before age seven, but not why he had such a problem with doctors.

"Alright, anything else?" asked Shade. As he looked back in the folder on the desk, he found a cassette tape. It was labelled, "When you find this, listen."

"Strange title. Whatever." Said Shade.

He put everything back in the folder and put it in his backpack. He walked back to his room and took out the cassette tape. He put the tape in the cassette player in his room. He then rewound it and hit play. At first it seemed to be mindless babbling. Shade listened to it over and over again, but still couldn't understand anything. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it.

"Hm. I wonder." Said Shade as he took out the tape. Transferred the sound from the tape to his laptop and played it backwards.

As he hit play, he could understand everything perfectly. The tape was not from the mental asylum, it was from before then. He heard a voice he didn't recognize, but for some odd reason, it sparked a whole new level of anger in him. The voice made his blood run cold.

"Patient Testing. Number 3729." Said the voice.

"That's me." Said Shade.

"Full name, BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Hill." Said the voice after the static cut out.

"It cut out my first name. Dammit." Said Shade.

"Attempted Genetics. Beowolf, Deathstalker, and Ursa. Expected results. Speed of Beowolf, strength of Ursa, venom of Deathstalker. Subject has survived initial treatment, and is expected to survive. Only took the Beowolf genetics so far." Said the voice as the tape ended.

"Just Beowolf huh?" said Shade.

So, he was apparently part Beowolf. As expected, the tape had left him with more questions than answers. Who was that man, why did he hate that voice, when and where was this recorded, how could he find the answers he was looking for? These questions circled around in his head for a few minutes until a knock was heard at the door. He went and opened the door, to see Ruby standing there.

"Hey Ruby. Sorry I got so mad. You were just curious, but if you wanted to know, you only would've had to have waited until now. Get the rest of your team, as well as Velvet. Not my team, JNPR, CRDL, SSLM, or the rest of Velvet's team." Said Shade.

"Already got them all, Weiss' idea." Said Ruby, everyone else showing up behind her.

"Alright. Come on in." said Shade.

Everyone entered and sat across from Shade.

"Alright. I should let you know first, I found out form Ozpin that I am part grim. It seems that you already know that, I just want to confirm that for you. Apparently, I was meant to be part Beowolf, Deathstalker, and Ursa, but I only know for sure that the Beowolf genetics stayed. The others, I don't know." Said Shade. He then explained how those were his files, as well as what he had read about in them, but only the important part.

"So there you go. That's all I know. I don't know where I'm going to go from here, but when I find out, I'll let you five know." Said Shade.

"What about everyone else?" asked Velvet.

"Believe me, I wish I could tell them, but I just don't feel I can trust them enough. Not even my own team. One thing I know, sometimes trusting people is hard, but it isn't impossible." Said Shade.

"Hmpf." Said a voice from outside the door. Shade got up and looked outside, but didn't see anyone.

"Who was it?" asked Velvet.

"Not sure. No one is out here." Said Shade.

"Weird." Said Velvet.

"Yeah. Anyways, what are you going to do now?" asked Ruby.

"Not sure. I think I'm going to go for a walk around town. Just some alone time to clear my head." Said Shade.

"Alright. Lead the way." Said Ruby, not realizing that he said "alone time".

"Um Ruby? He said 'Alone time.' As in just him." Said Velvet.

"Oh, alright. See you soon then." Said Weiss.

"Bye Shade. Stay safe." Said Velvet, trying to be threatening, but she ended up just being adorable.

"Alright Velvet. I'll see you tomorrow." Said Shade, kissing her on the forehead.

Velvet blushed a deep crimson.

"See you." Said Shade, leaving the room, and heading for the airships.

"Wow. I can't even imagine what he is feeling right now." Said Blake.

"I know what you mean. He has to be freaking out inside. Imagine finding out you're part grim. I mean, we kill grim for a living." Said Yang.

"I know." Said Velvet.

Once Shade arrived in town, he decided to pay a visit to Matt's store. On the way there, he stopped by a weapon store and was about to buy some ammo until he found something interesting. It was a dagger. Normally, he wouldn't even consider buying it, but he decided to get it in case he ever lost his swords. Even though it was unlikely for him to leave them anywhere, he could still lose them in a fight. He could use the dagger to fight his way back to them. Looking over the dagger, it had a black handle with a strange insignis carved on it. The blade itself was made of silver. There was also a ruby placed into the end of the dagger. Shade bought the dagger and slid it into his inner coat pocket. He then started to walk towards Matt's store. When he arrived he saw that it was closed. It was only then he realized how late it had gotten. He began walking back to beacon, when he got the feeling he was being followed. He shrugged it off, but the second he turned around, he was restrained and a cloth was held over his mouth. The sudden shock caused him to gasp, taking in a huge breath. He immediately started feeling faint, before he passed out.

"Good. Get rid of his swords and that pack. Make sure they know we have him, and make sure they find this pack." Said a man.

"Already taken care of. There is a note outside their door." Said another man as he walked up to the other two.

"Good. Now pick him up and let's go." Said the first man.

The others picked up Shade and carried him off.

"We've got you now. You didn't help us, but you will. Whether you want to or not." Said the leader.

The next day, Kami, Risa and Neo woke up and noticed Shade was gone.

"Where is he this time?" asked Neo. She then picked up her scroll and called Weiss.

"Hey Neo. What's up?" asked Weiss.

"It's Shade. He isn't back yet." Said Neo.

"What?" asked Weiss.

"Hang on. We found a note outside our room." Said Neo.

"What does it say?" asked Weiss.

"Hang on. It says 'We have your friend. If you want to hear from him, wait until noon. We will call you, and you will see then true nature of this creature'. That's it." Said Neo.

"He's been…kidnapped." Said Weiss.

"WHAT?!" yelled Weiss' team.

"Meet us in the cafeteria. Get everyone and meet us there." Said Neo.

"Got it." Said Weiss, hanging up.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location.

"Ugh, my head." Said Shade, waking up. He tried to move his hands, but found himself to be tied to the chair he was in.

"Ah, you're awake. Good." Said a man.

"Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?" asked Shade, still trying to wriggle free of his bonds.

"Enough with all the questions. Simply put though, the answer to your question is we want your help. We know what you are, and we want you to help us get revenge on those who have wronged us. The hunters and huntresses at beacon academy." Said the man.

"What? NO! Why would I help you kill my friends?" asked Shade, appalled.

"You honestly think they are your friends? HA, pathetic. You can't trust them. You can't trust anyone." Said the man.

"What are you talking about? Nevermind. I'm not going to help you." Said Shade.

"We thought you might say that. Oh well though. Here, drink this." Said the man.

It was at this point Shade became aware of the dryness in his throat.

"Thanks, I guess." Said Shade, opening his mouth.

He drank the liquid, until he started feeling funny.

"What was that?" asked Shade.

"We expected you to not accept our offer, so we decided to make an insurance policy. This is a mind control potion. You will fall under our control within 2 minutes. See you soon." Said the man.

5 minutes later. The man returned. By then Shade had realized that they must have screwed up the potion, because he still didn't want to attack beacon. But, if he wanted to be set free, he would have to fake it.

"So then. Will you help us?" asked the man.

"Of course. All those traitors at beacon must die." Said Shade.

"Very well. Follow me." Said the man, untying Shade's binds.

"Of course." said Shade, glad that he was free.

In the main room.

"Hello. I see Shade had finally seen the truth. Welcome to The Blood Brothers." Said the man.

"I assume you are the boss here." Said Shade.

"Of course. Now, we have a call to make." Said the leader.

Back at beacon, Neo and the others were waiting altogether for the call. Just as the clock struck twelve, Neo's scroll buzzed. She quickly answered it.

"Hello. I am the leader of The Blood Brothers. I'm sure you are curious as to why The Blood Brothers exist, but we do. It is not important why. We have Shade, and he has finally seen you for the traitors you are. Just see for yourself." Said the leader turning the video to show Shade with an emotionless expression.

"Shade! Are you Ok?" asked Velvet, yelling into the screen.

"Now I am. I know the truth about you monsters. You don't care about me, and now that I know that, I can finally cut all ties with you and bring all of you to the death you deserve." Said Shade, before winking. No one but Velvet caught it, but she kept quiet, knowing he was planning this.

"What are you talking about Shade?! We care! We all do." Said Yang.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" yelled Shade, looking frustrated.

Everyone was silent after hearing Shade's outburst.

"I'm sorry, but it appears we need to let you go. Can't risk the other one coming out. Goodbye. See you soon. If you want to find us, go into town. You will find your 'friend's' items there. You will also find another note. Find us… before we find you." Said the leader before hanging up.

"What did he mean by that?" asked Neo.

"They're planning to attack beacon." Said Coco.

"They can't be. We have hunters and huntresses with us here. They can't win. It would be suicide." Said Kami.

"No. They have Shade with them, and if I'm not mistaken, they also have others like Shade. If they really are The Blood Brothers, we are all in danger. We need to tell Ozpin. He needs to know." Said Ruby.

"Yeah. But we have a question. What the hell are you talking about? How is Shade so dangerous? Who are The Blood Brothers? What is going on?" asked Risa, speaking for Kami as well.

"You see, we should let Ozpin explain it, we don't know enough about it yet." Said Weiss.

"Then let's go see Ozpin. NOW!" yelled Risa, pulling Kami.

"Here we go." Said Weiss.

When they arrived at Ozpin's office, Ozpin also had Port, Oobleck, and Glynda with him.

"Are you sure headmaster?" asked Port.

"Yes. The conversation was recorded. I am sure of it." Said Ozpin.

"What shall we do Headmaster?" asked Oobleck.

"We must prepare. Ready our weapons, and keep an eye on the path leading here for them." Said Ozpin.

"What should we do?" asked Yang.

"Go into town. Find the next note. Find their hideout and tell us where it is." Said Ozpin.

"Yes Ozpin. Let's go guys." Said Yang.

"Not all of you. We need some here in case of an attack." Said Ozpin.

"Then who?" asked Yang.

"Ruby, Velvet, Fox, Pyrrha, and Cardin. You will team with a new student. He doesn't trust many others, but he is very skilled. Come on in Kannon." Said Ozpin.

A boy walked in. He looked to be around seventeen years old. He was a snake-like faunus. His hair was long and in a ponytail, brown with dark-green lowlights. He also had a goatee. His eyes were bright green with slit pupils, and he had no eyelids. He had a large scar across his right eye, almost like Shade's scar, and his right arm looked like it was synthetic. He was built very athletically and had large legs and hands. He looked to be around seven feet, eight inches tall. He was wearing armor. It had holders for dust canisters and storage for extra ammo. The helmet he was wearing seemed to have a tracker of some sort on it and only his left eye was showing. No one could spot a weapon anywhere on him.

"Everyone, meet Kannon Ambrosuis Lawson." Said Ozpin, introducing the boy.

"Hello Kannon. I'm Yang. Nice to meet you." Said Yang.

Kannon however, didn't respond. He just looked over the others and it was clear he couldn't trust any of them.

"Do you not trust us?" asked Velvet.

Kannon simply scoffed at this remark. "To trust another is to lay your life in their hands and say, do as you will." After this, he fell silent.

"That's an… interesting perspective." Said Weiss.

"There we are. You will travel with Kannon to find their hideout and then report back to us. You are dismissed." Said Ozpin.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Said Kannon.

"So, what's your weapon?" asked Ruby.

Kannon looked at Ruby, and it seemed like he could trust her slightly. Kannon looked at her suspiciously. As he looked into her eyes, he felt like she could be someone that he could actually tolerate, and maybe eventually, trust.

"If you really want to know, my weapon is a chainsword, or a chainsaw sword, which can be transformed into a Gatling gun." Said Kannon.

"Alright, what did you name it?" Asked Ruby.

"I named it Brightroar." Said Kannon.

"That's an awesome name. So do you think you are ready to help us save our friend?" asked Ruby.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Said Kannon.

"Alright. I guess we need to go into town now. Let's find Shade." said Pyrrha.

"Yeah, I need to get my boyfriend back." Said Velvet.

'Oh really? Boyfriend?' thought Kannon.

"Then let's go." Said Cardin.

Ruby then led the group out of beacon and they started toward the airships. When they arrived at the airships they boarded the first on that was going to town. When it landed they instantly saw Shade's backpack along with his swords.

"This his stuff?" asked Kannon.

"Yeah. These are his swords. It looks like the next note should be around here somewhere." Said Ruby.

"I found it." Said Velvet.

Velvet picked up the note and opened it up.

"Alright, here we go. 'Well done. If you go to the dock, you will find a ware house. You may recognize it as the one where you attacked The White Fang and you were ambushed by Roman Torchwick, Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus. That is where we are. But you will need to find a secret switch on the back wall. It will open a secret hallway. If you follow it to the end, you will find our base. Happy Hunting.' That's what it says." Said Velvet.

"Alright, let's go get Ozpin and the others." Said Ruby, walking back with everyone else. However, Velvet had a different idea.

After the others left Velvet left for the warehouse. Kannon looked over to her and saw that she wasn't following the group.

"What's up?" asked Kannon.

"I… I need to-" Velvet was cut off.

"I know, but you can't do it alone can you?" asked Kannon.

"I can try." Said Velvet.

"Yes you can try, but you will fail. Do you really think you can't wait for a few hours?" asked Kannon.

"No I can't. I need my boyfriend back. He's the only person that ever cared about me. You don't know the story, but to sum it up, a few guys were bullying me, and Shade was the first person to step in to defend me. He saved me, so now I want to save him." Said Velvet.

"I see. Well then, I suppose you'll need some help with that." Said Kannon.

"No, I can't ask you to do that for someone you've never met." Said Velvet.

"You know, I normally wouldn't do this. But for some reason, I feel like I need to save this Shade person. Not sure why, but I feel like I should help save him. Lead me to the warehouse and I'll help you." Said Kannon.

"Really? Thank you Kannon. I promise I'll pay you back for this." Said Velvet.

"No need. I am doing this of my own volition. Let's go save Shade." Said Kannon.

"Thank you." Said Velvet.

Velvet then led Kannon to the warehouse where her and her friends were ambushed. The two walked into the warehouse and searched for the switch on the back wall. After a few minutes of searching, Velvet found it and flipped it. Suddenly, a secret passage opened up beside it.

"I'd wager my life that this passage will lead us to your boyfriend. Are you ready for a fight? We may need to fight our way through the others to get to him." Said Kannon.

"I'm always ready for a fight. That's why I'm training to be a huntress." Said Velvet.

"Then let's go." Said Kannon.

"Hey Kannon? Just in case we don't make it out, Thank you. For helping me." Said Velvet.

"You're welcome. But don't talk like that. We'll make it out." Said Kannon.

"You're right. We are here to save Shade!" said Velvet, full of determination.

They both ran in with their weapons at the ready and attacked everyone they encountered. As they ran through the hallway, only a few members avoided their attacks, but they didn't kill anyone, just immobilized them. After a few minutes they reached a large room. It looked like the room they got the call from. After walking in, someone attacked them from behind and tackled them to the ground.

"Hmph!" yelled Velvet after being tackled.

"Shh! It's me." Said Shade covering her mouth.

"Shade. What's up?" asked Velvet.

"Look. I'm only here to gather information. I need to find out about myself. But now I need to tie you two up if I want to earn their trust." Said Shade.

"What? There is no way your tying me up." Said Kannon.

"Kannon. This is my boyfriend. I promise you he'll never hurt us. You can trust him completely." Said Velvet.

"Do you swear?' asked Kannon.

"Yes. I do." Said Velvet.

"Fine then. Velvet, you have earned my trust, so I will trust Shade as well." Said Kannon, following Shade and Velvet into another room where there was only two chairs and a large cage.

"So, you're going to tie us to these chairs?" asked Kannon.

"Yeah. Don't want to but I have to." Said Shade.

Velvet and Kannon sat down and let Shade tie them up. When he finished he was tacked from behind,, chained up and put in the cage.

"What the deal? Weren't we on the same team?" asked Shade

"We know you're lying about being on our side, but it was a good opportunity to get the most powerful Blood Brother here so we could finish you off. Then, we can't be stopped." Said the leader.

Shade realized that while he thought he was playing them, he was in reality playing himself.

"We'll be back soon, but first, we'll weaken your friends." Said the leader taking a knife out. He walked over to Velvet and stabbed her in the arm, causing her to cry out in pain. He then approached Kannon and did the same, but when Kannon didn't cry out, he looked at his arm. When he did, he noticed that the arm was synthetic.

"A fake arm huh? Whatever, won't help you now." Said the leader, leaving.

"They played me. Played me like a fiddle. I'm sorry Velvet. You too… I think I heard your name was Kannon." Said Shade.

"You heard right." Said Kannon.

"Hey Velvet. I need to say this now, in case we don't make it. I love you." Said Shade.

Shade's sudden and unexpected outburst shocked everyone in the room.

"Really?" asked Velvet, tearing up.

"Yes. I wish I could do something else, but I don't want to do it if we're just going to die anyways." Sad Shade.

"We won't die. Everyone is coming and they will save us. Just do or say whatever you were going to do or say." Said Kannon.

"But are you sure? I mean, you don't know what I'm going to do, but now that I'm thinking about it, even though I do want it, I can't do it so soon. If we make it out. I'll do it when we get back to beacon." Said Shade.

Normally we wouldn't be able to get out, but luckily I think I can wriggle out these bonds. Then I can break us out." Said Kannon.

"Nice try, but that will just kill you quicker. If those bonds are broken, it will activate the mines under the floor and blow us all to oblivion." Said the guard.

"Dammit." Said Shade, growling.

In fact, how do you like this." Said the guard, punching Velvet.

"Leave her alone!" yelled Shade, menacingly.

"What are you going to do to stop me? We've got the demon caged." Said the guard, punching her again.

"Oh really? You think you have the demon caged, but you don't. You have Shade Hill caged. If the demon was out, you would be dead at this moment. If you lay another finger on her, that is EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN!" said Shade, with his eyes twitching.

"Prove it." Said the guard, punching Velvet again.

"You asked for it!" yelled Shade, releasing the demon. As the demon was released, his fingernails grew into claws, his teeth grew into fangs, and his voice became ragged.

"What the hell?" asked the guard.

"I tried to warn you, but you wouldn't listen." Said Shade, ripping his cage door off, picking up two of the steel pipes and ripping the ropes off Kannon.

"NO! THE MINES!" yelled Kannon.

"I didn't untie it. I ripped it off. Get a pipe and start swinging." said Shade, smashing the guard's face the bar. After the guard was long dead, he helped Velvet up, and ripped off her ropes.

"My hero." Said Velvet, kissing Shade, even though he was still in demon form, and couldn't kiss back.

"No time. Grab something and help me." Said Shade.

"Got it. Let's go." Said Kannon.

"Alright. Time to unleash the demon." Said Shade.

Shade closed his eyes, and allowed the demon to take full control. His eyes turned black.

"What the hell? His eyes do that too?" asked Kannon.

"What? Too?" asked Velvet.

 **Hello once again. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This wasn't as long in the works as I thought it would be. Well, rather I thought the depression would take longer to get over, but thanks to the therapist, my doctor, and my friends, in real life and online. Thanks to them I got over this depression earlier than anticipated, and thanks to you guys. My viewers, it is thanks to you that I was able to get this chapter out so soon. You guys motivated me to write this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will leave a review. And, as always, I hope to see you in the next chapter. Goodbye.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life! I have to say, it is great to be back but don't expect chapters to be as frequent as earlier because I will probably have less time to write as I am back home and my parents still think of me as a child so if I spend too much time on my computer they think they can take it away from me so I have to write this at night when they can't stop me. I have also started a poll on my profile and it will go on until the end of this story. Let your opinion be heard. No new reviews, I only own Shade and Lilian, and back to the story.**

Chapter 23: A Demon's Truth

"Is now really the time to be asking about that?" asked Shade.

"Well…I guess not. Why don't we ask after we escape?" asked Velvet.

"I guess so." Said Kannon, unsure what they mean.

Shade, Velvet and Kannon began running through the hallways ducking behind walls to avoid patrols, trying to escape undetected, as the only one who knew they were out was dead. They could see the end of the hallway in front of them, but unfortunately a patrol saw them and set off an alarm. The hallway quickly filled with Blood Brothers. It was clear what they all were. There were Ursa Hybrids, Deathstalker hybrids, and even a handful of King Taijitu hybrids.

"Dammit. Looks like we need to fight, but we only have these steel bars. They have swords. They could easily slash through these." said Shade.

"Well, I have my weapon." Said Kannon, putting down his bar and closing his eyes. After his eyes closed, it seemed that a hole in reality opened and Kannon pulled out his chainsword.

"What the hell?" asked Shade.

"Semblance. You ready?" asked Kannon, turning his weapon into a Gatling gun.

"Yeah. Velvet, stay here. Kannon, keep me covered." Said Shade, activating his semblance and phasing into his shadow. As the black smoke thickened, Kannon began firing blindly into the smoke in the direction of the Blood Brothers. After the smoke cleared, Kannon looked to see Shade swinging the steel bars around wildly, almost always hitting someone, but was unaware of the danger behind him. Someone was about to attack Shade from behind with a knife, but neither Kannon nor Shade noticed him. However, Velvet did, and she ran in to protect her boyfriend.

"Ahh!" yelled Velvet, which caused Shade to turn around. He saw Velvet lying on the ground with a knife wound.

"NO!" yelled Shade, rushing to Velvet's side. Even though Shade seemed to have already lost his temper, he seemed to be losing it again. His teeth began to glow gold, and his claws became sharper and longer. However, Kannon also seemed to be undergoing a change, but rather than changing like Shade, his canine teeth began to grow longer, and a black forked tongue began to snake out of his mouth. His body began to become more snake-like as well. After undergoing this change, a blast came from the door that led out. Yang then ran in, flanked by the rest of team CFVY and the rest of team SPKR. The others weren't far behind.

When Neo saw her brother, she gasped. "What the hell happened?" Asked Neo.

"No time. It looksssss like Velvet isssss ssssseriously hurt! Get her out of here. We'll handle thessssse guysssss." Hissed Kannon.

"NO you c-" Shade cut off Yang.

"NOW!" roared Shade, menacingly.

"Got it." Said Coco, picking up Velvet and leading the rest of the group out of the base.

"You too huh?" asked Shade, figuring it out.

"Ssssseemsssss that way…brother…" said Kannon.

"Yeah. We may not be biological…" Shade trailed off.

"…but we are ssssstill…" Continued Kannon.

Shade and Kannon looked at the group of hybrids backing away. "BLOOD BROTHERS!" yelled Shade and Kannon.

However, on the security cameras, the leader was watching this scene unfold. "Dammit. Both of the originals are here. We need to evacuate." The leader then turned on the PA system. "All personnel. Evacuate the base. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill." Said the leader, and the Blood Brothers began to flee, but not before Kannon and Shade sunk their teeth into one each. When Kannon released the man, he had two large puncture wound on his neck, but when Shade pulled away, there was a distinct gold liquid left in the wound.

"What is that?" asked Shade, getting closer.

"I'd wager it isssss Deathssssstalker poissssson." Hissed Kannon.

"Deathstalker poison…" whispered Shade, reverting back to his normal self. Kannon turned back not long after.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Said Kannon.

"I can't. I was brought here for a reason that we weren't told. I'm sure there is something here I was destined to find, and I intend to find out what." Said Shade, scouring the tunnels for the leader's room.

"Don't take too long. We're going to head back to beacon. You better be back soon." Said Kannon.

"Got it." Said Shade, running through the halls. Not long after leaving, Shade found the leader's room. He began looking through the drawers and eventually found a file titled PA3729.

"Here we are." Said Shade, grabbing the files and turning to run out, but he saw two more files.

"PA3730 and PA3731. These ones are really close to mine." Said Shade. After a few seconds of thought he grabbed those files too, before running out.

He quickly abandoned the base and ran towards the airships. He got on the fastest one back to beacon. When it landed, he immediately ran to the infirmary. When he got there, he was greeted by Ozpin.

"I can assure you, she is fine." Said Ozpin. But that wasn't enough for Shade. He needed to see her. He pushed past Ozpin and walked down the hall, until he saw everyone in a room. As he walked through the door, he saw Velvet awake on a bed.

"Thank god. You're Ok." Said Shade.

"Yeah. By the way, would you mind telling us what the hell we saw there?" asked Kami, turning away from Velvet.

He looked at team RWBY and Velvet, as they were the only ones who knew about Shade being a Grim hybrid. "I would love to, really I would. I just can't right now. I don't know enough about it myself, and I want to wait until I know some more. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready yet." Said Shade, apologetically.

"Alright. What about you Kannon?" asked Yang.

Kannon eyed Yang suspiciously, but decided that she may be trustworthy. "Honestly, not entirely sure yet." Said Kannon.

'But, back at the base…' thought Shade, before realising that he probably didn't remember that because he didn't know of his Grim side.

"Alright then. Well, this is really similar to when we met Shade. Anyways, baby steps." Said Ruby.

"I need to know something Kannon. Why do you have such a hard time trusting others?" asked Shade.

Kannon seemed hesitant to answer the question, but eventually decided to answer. "Well, you see, I actually intended to attend beacon last year. I was in the entrance exam, but my "partner" angered a pack of beowolves, and then slashed me across the torso and ran. I was able to get away, but I lost an arm and almost lost my eye. I was sent to Atlas, and was given this." Said Kannon, holding up his right arm and peeling off what looked like half an inch of flesh, revealing a steel arm and showing it to everyone. He then pushed the skin back onto his arm and sighed.

"What about your semblance?" asked Velvet, curious as to how he seemingly pulled his weapon out of thin air.

"I can alter reality to a slight degree. I can create a small pocket dimension to store my weapon when I don't need it. I can also send my enemy away a short distance before blasting them away." Said Kannon.

"That seems pretty useful." Said Shade.

"It is. But I'm more curious about yours. You just exploded into black smoke, and then you showed up among those Blood Brothers swinging those bars around like a mad man. How did you do that?" asked Kannon.

"That was my semblance. When I activate it without my weapons I explode into smoke or leave a copy behind if I do have my weapons with me. What I did was merge with my shadow, and move among them to catch them off guard." Said Shade.

"Interesting. But what are your usual weapons?" asked Kannon as he hadn't seen them yet.

"Oh right. Shade! We found your backpack and your swords were with them." Said Pyrrha, handing Shade his stuff.

"Thanks Pyrrha." Said Shade, strapping his swords to his back, and throwing his backpack on.

"Alright. So dual wield swords huh? Explains why you picked up two bars instead of one." Said Kannon, connecting the dots.

"Yeah. So can you finally trust us? At least some of us?" asked Ruby.

"Some of you, yes. All of you, no." said Kannon.

"Well, it's a start at least." Said Sun.

"Yeah." Said Sarah.

"Anyways, I need some sleep right about now. I guess I'll talk to you guys tomorrow." Said Shade, walking away.

"Wait Shade!" yelled Velvet.

Shade stopped and walked back to Velvet. "What's up Velvet?" asked Shade, somewhat concerned.

Velvet just looked up at him and planted a kiss on his lips. "Good night." Said Velvet.

"Night." Said Shade turning back around and leaving the room.

"Wow. You really are in love with him aren't you?" Asked Blake.

"Yeah. I am." Said Velvet.

"Damn. If I had known that you loved him that much I wouldn't have started dating him in the first place." Said Blake.

"Really?" asked Yang, not believing her.

"Well…alright probably not." Said Blake.

"Yeah, I don't think I would've either." Said Weiss.

"He dated you two as well?" asked Kannon.

"Yeah. He can be a real lady-killer if he wants to be. Strange thing though, I don't think he notices when he is trying." Said Blake.

"Well done Shade." said Kannon.

"Anyways. We really should get some sleep." Said Kami.

"Yeah. Who knows what Shade is going to be up to tomorrow." Said Risa.

"Good idea. Night everybody." Said Velvet.

At that point everyone left the room and returned to their respective dorms. The next morning Shade woke up before the rest of his team, went to the cafeteria to get some food and then headed to the library so he could read the files, not telling anyone where he was. When he got there he took out the files. He opened his and found many documents.

"Looks like I have a lot of reading. Here we go." Said Shade. Upon opening the first folder he saw a picture of himself holding a board that read "PA3729".

"Must've done that to see what the patient looked like before studying them." Said Shade.

"PA3729. Test number one. The boy has recovered tremendously from the genetic modifications. He shows little to no physical changes other than an almost unnoticeable increase in muscle mass and a much more acute sense of smell. He is able to detect minor differences ion smells from a great distance. We sent him into the forest alone today for his first individual challenge in order to test to what degree his sense of smell had increased. He made his way back to the lab in a mere ten minutes. Being five kilometres away means he must have picked up on our scents very quickly and that he had been travelling at a constant speed of on kilometre every two minutes. This proves that he has accepted the Beowolf genetics and has the speed of a Beowolf. The boy is showing tremendous improvements in his fighting style with bare hands, able to defend himself against our best fighter. We will continue more tests tomorrow.

-Dr. R. Mars"

"Alright. This R. Mars guy must have been the doctor that made me into this hybrid. Which means that these notes may tell me what else they did to me in this lab… as well as any other genetics that I 'accepted' as he put it." Said Shade.

"PA3729. Test number two. The boy seems to have accepted the Deathstalker genetics as when one of our doctors went to pick him up for his first examination today, he was attacked and quickly thrown out of the room with bite marks on his neck and shoulders. There was a gold liquid left in his bite wounds as well as a gold glow coming from the room. Upon looking in it seemed that the boy's teeth were glowing gold. After testing the liquid in the wounds, it turned out to be Deathstalker poison. After this discovery, the boy exhibited tremendous strength, able to punch through a boulder, showing that he had also accepted the Ursa genetics, but he was only able to exhibit this power when he was pushed very close to his breaking point. We immediately began analysis on what caused this boy to accept all the introduced genetics, but could find no other differences between him and our previous patients. However, after our next test subject came in we found a similarity between him and the boy. They were both under the age of ten when we tested them. Deciding to test this new theory, we brought in a young boy that had recently turned ten. After introducing the same genetics we had given to PA3729, the boy quickly died. After this, we brought in a young girl that was the same age as the boys, and she accepted the chosen genetics quickly. Fascinated with our new discovery, we began to test the three children, trying to find any genetics similarities that would cause them to accept the genetics. After finding nothing we began to look for physical similarities, but found nothing. We began to hypothesize that in may solely be due to their age. We began to hypothesize why that might be, and quickly agreed in the conclusion that since they were still, young, they hadn't quite grown accustomed to their bodies yet. If these genetics were introduced early, the brain would just assume that these genetics simply weren't detected yet, whereas if they were introduced later in life, the brain would consider them a foreign body and attempt to destroy them, only resulting in the death of the patient. After making this discovery, we began to train the three children together, hoping to make them into a cohesive unit. They began working well together almost immediately. We will continue their training tomorrow.

-Dr. R. Mars."

"Strange. This is the last file in this folder. The only thing left is this cassette tape. Maybe I should check this out before continuing with these." Said Shade, putting the folders in his backpack and making sure that no one could get them out. Shade returned to his dorm room and took the cassette out. After opening the door, he saw all his teammates had woken up. He tried to hide the cassette in his pocket again, but failed miserably.

"Hey bro. What's on that tape?" asked Neo.

"Um…nothing?" said Shade.

His teammates just looked at him disapprovingly. Risa snatched the tape out of his hand and out in in the cassette player. She rewound it and almost pressed play until Shade stopped her.

"Wait!" yelled Shade.

"What's wrong Shade?" asked Risa.

"Just let me say something quickly before you press play." Said Shade.

"Alright. What is it?" asked Kami.

"Ok. I found this tape in that lab we were at. I think it may have something to do with a Blood Brother." Said Shade.

"Well then let's listen to it." Said Risa, pressing play. A voice began coming from the cassette player. Shade was silently hoping that his name wouldn't come up in it.

"Hello PA3729. If you are listening to this tape it means you have recovered the folder from the warehouse. I feel I should let you know who I am. My name is Reese Mars. I am the doctor that created you. The Blood Brothers and Sisters that you fought at the lab to get this folder only made up approximately 1/100 of my whole force. That's right. The ones you fought, there are 99 more of the exact same ones at my disposal, and we are making more as we speak. However, I think I should reward you for finding this tape. Therefore, I will tell you something that you may want to know. As I'm sure you know, you were the first successful subject. You were the first successfully created Grim hybrid. There were two more patients at the lab during the time you were there. They rebelled against us at the same time you did. They are both currently living in Vale, though one originally hails from Mistral, and they are now enrolled at beacon academy. One is a male and the other is a female. The female is the one from Mistral. Happy hunting PA3729, or should I say… Shade Hill. That's right. I know what name you are going by. Have fun!" called the voice before the tape stopped playing.

Shade froze in place, hoping and praying that his teammates hadn't heard that. Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered.

Neo, Kami and Risa all turned to Shade, who was staring at the floor. They didn't know how to respond to what they had just heard. Their first thoughts were that the tape was lying, but those thoughts were quickly dismissed when Shade looked back up and nodded. This caused all his teammates to gasp.

"Well… now you know my secret. What are you going to do?" asked Shade.

"Well, first I am going to slap you for not telling your own sister." Said Neo, slapping Shade.

"Now, we are going to help you find the other two that that tape mentioned." Said Kami.

Shade was shocked that his teammates were so accepting. He was happy that they weren't afraid of him, because that would make it hard to work together, but now he had to find the two Blood Brothers.

"So, they are both here at beacon. One boy and one girl. They could literally be anyone." Said Neo.

"Actually no. We should find the ones that have traits of a Grim. Like me for example, I have wolf ears, like a Beowolf. So we should look for people with the traits of either a Beowolf, Ursa, Nevermore, Boarbatusk, Deathstalker, or King Taijitu. Those are the most common Grim.." said Shade.

"Ok, so Wolves, Bears, Birds, Boars, Scorpions and Snakes, right?" asked Risa.

"Yeah. We should split into two pairs. Neo, you're with me, Kami and Risa, you two are together. Let's go." Said Shade.

Shade and Neo left the room and went searching around the dorm building. Not long after starting their search, they ran into Kannon and Velvet.

"Hey Shade!" yelled Velvet.

Shade just smiled, walked over to Velvet and kissed her. "Hey sweetie." Said Shade, smiling.

"Hey Kannon." Said Neo.

Kannon just looked away.

"Kannon, don't worry. She's my sister. She's trustworthy." Said Shade.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. I'm Kannon. What's your name?" asked Kannon.

"My name is Neo." Said Neo.

"Alright. So what are you to up to?" asked Kannon.

"Well we found out that there are two Blood Brothers that are here at beacon and were looking for them. Any ideas as to who they might be?" asked Shade.

"No sorry. By the way, did you find that thing you were looking for?' asked Kannon.

"Oh yeah, and I found the files on the two Blood Brothers that arrived there after me. Wait, my picture was in my folder. Maybe the pictures of the other two will be in the other folders." Said Shade digging out the other two folders.

"Alright PA3730 is… Oh wow. Kannon. It's you. You're a Blood Brother." Said Neo, looking at Kannon's file.

Kannon simply shrugged.

Velvet picked up the other file, looked inside and gasped loudly, startling Shade.

"What is it Velvet?" asked Shade as he grabbed the folder from Velvet. He looked at the picture inside and almost passed out.

"Shade? Are you Ok? Who is it?' asked Neo.

"It's…I-It's…Sarah..." said Shade.

 **THE CLIFFHANGERS ARE REAL! I realize that this may make some of you angry due to the cliff hanger, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter at least. Let me know how I did and remember to leave any advice you have for this story, and I hope I will see you in the next chapter. But for now, I will see you next time in RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life! So, major bombshell dropped last chapter, hope you guys enjoyed the cliff hanger, but I think I should wrap that up. Also, this chapter will have a lot of dirty jokes in it. But anyways, review time!**

 **Valkerix: First off, glad you are enjoying this story and as always, thank you for your continued support. Also thanks for the heads up on the upcoming chapter. Looking forward to it. (Also just realized that your OC's name is the first five letters of your username. The Burning Ruler is very unobservant.)**

 **Anyways, with that out of the way, I only own Shade, Lilian and Sarah, who for some reason I keep forgetting about, and let's just start the chapter.**

Chapter 24: A Night Out.

"Sarah?" asked Neo.

"Yeah. It's Sarah." Said Shade, turning the folder to Neo. Sarah's picture was in the folder for PA3731, meaning it was in fact her.

"But…how is it possible that we haven't seen the 'monster' inside her yet?" asked Velvet?

"Well, Sarah has always been good at keeping her temper under control. That's probably why." Said Shade.

"Yeah, I always have been." Said Sarah, walking up to the group.

"Ah! Don't sneak up on us like that." Said Velvet.

"Why?" Asked Sarah.

"Nevermind." Said Shade.

It was at this point Neo started to look confused. "I never knew you had a tattoo Sarah." Said Neo.

"What are you talking about? I don't have a tattoo." Said Sarah.

"No you do. Right there on your ankle." Said Neo, pointing downwards.

"Yeah. She's right. You do have tattoo there." Said Shade, checking it out.

"What is it of?" asked Sarah, confused.

"I'm not sure." Said Shade.

"Well, take a picture of it. I want to see this. I don't ever remember getting a tattoo." Said Sarah.

"Alright." Said Shade, taking a picture. As he stood up he showed Sarah the picture. It was impossible to decipher what it was supposed to be of. As Sarah was looking at it, she instantly began to try to pick out a pattern.

"It looks like there are some darker parts on this. They seem to form a pattern. It looks like, 3-7-3-1. 3731? Why would I get that as a tattoo?" asked Sarah.

"3731?" asked Shade, before his eyes widened. 'That might be it' thought Shade. He began to frantically roll up his own pant leg and roll down his sock so he could see his ankle. He saw a blotch of ink on his ankle as well. He quickly got his scroll back and took a picture of it. He gave his scroll back to Sarah and asked her to see if she could find a pattern on his ink as well.

"Alright. I can try." Said Sarah. After gazing at the ink blotch for a few minutes, she spoke up. "Yeah I got something. Another set of four numbers. This one is 3729." Said Sarah.

"Alright. Kannon? May I check your ankle as well?" asked Shade.

Kannon looked confused until he thought about it for a second. He nodded and rolled up his pant leg. Everyone else was confused. Sure enough, Shade found another blotch of ink on Kannon's ankle as well. He took another picture and gave it to Sarah. After looking for a few seconds, she picked out another pattern of darker patches. "This one looks like 3730." Said Sarah after a few minutes.

"Just as I thought. These aren't tattoos in the conventional sense. There more like brands. Barcodes even. Marking us. Making us recognizable." Said Shade, smirking.

"So they know which ones we are." Said Kannon, earning a nod from Shade.

"What do you mean?" asked Sarah.

"Alright. This may come as a bit of a shock to you, but me, Kannon, and I guess you as well, we are all Blood Brothers. Or I guess Blood Sister in your case. We are genetically modified grim hybrids, designed by a man named Reese Mars who created us in hopes of creating a new super-species. This may be a bit of a shock to you-" Shade was cut off.

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT TO THIS?!" yelled Sarah.

"You need to stay calm. Anger and rage is what allows the grim side of your genetics to take over. Stay calm." Said Shade.

Sarah began to calm down upon hearing this. "Alright fine. But, what does this mean?" asked Sarah.

"I think that we may find some answers in these." Said Shade, pulling out the folders.

"What are they?" asked Sarah.

"This is your and this is Kannon's folder from the lab where the three of us were created. We may find some answers in the files here." Said Shade.

"Well. Should we head to the library for some privacy?" asked Kannon.

"That's what I would suggest." Said Shade.

"Then let's go." Said Sarah.

"Let the others know that we don't want to be disturbed, please. I'll let Kami and Risa know we found them." Said Shade.

"You got it." Said Neo and Velvet.

"Thanks guys. Let's see what they have on you two." Said Shade.

After arriving in the library, they opted to start with Kannon's files.

"Alright. PA3730. Attempted genetics, King Taijitu, Boarbatusk. Expected Result, mobility and size of King Taijitu, defensive properties of Boarbatusk. Skin anywhere other than stomach and torso should be harder than stone. Brought in after PA3729 in order to perform tests. Only correlation between the two subjects is age. More tests will be conducted tomorrow. All genetics have been accepted. Training will begin tomorrow as well.

Dr. Reese Mars."

"Kannon, turn around. I want to test something." Said Shade, drawing his sword.

"What are you doing with that Shade?" asked Kannon.

"Just trust me." Said Shade.

Kannon wasn't sure, but he turned around, even though it was reluctantly. Shade then tried to puncture his back with his sword, but his sword just bounced off his back every time he tried. "Just as I expected. I can't even scratch your back with my sword. I have cut steel in half with these before." Said Shade, giving Kannon a smirk.

"Unbelievable. I didn't actually believe it was possible until now. But you've made a believer out of me. What's next?" asked Kannon.

"Strange, nothing. That was the only file in this folder. So, on to Sarah's?" asked Shade, looking at Sarah.

"Yeah." Said Sarah.

Shade opened the folder and pulled out the file. Once again, there was only one file.

"Alright, here goes. PA3731. Attempted genetics, Ursa, Nevermore. Expected results. Strength of Ursa, Flight of Nevermore. Brought in order to confirm age theory. After initial tests, we have been able to determine that it was in fact the age factor that allowed us to create Hybrids. Both genetics have been accepted. Flight can only be activated if patient is uninjured, and only lasts a short while. Tomorrow, we will begin training of the subjects in order to create a cohesive unit.

Dr. Reese Mars."

"Well, that explains my semblance." Said Sarah.

"Wait, your semblance is flight?" asked Shade, unaware of this.

"Yeah, check it out." Said Sarah, sprouting black wings and flying around the room, preforming aerial stunts, before landing delicately on her feet.

"Well, then. That was certainly unexpected. But what do we do now? We are all Blood Brothers. I intend to continue searching for answers, and you two can join me, or go on with your lives. I'll leave that choice up to you, but I'm going to talk to Ozpin. Maybe he knows something about the facility we were created in. You can come along, or not. I don't really care." Said Shade, leaving the room.

Kannon looked back at the files quickly before catching up to Shade. "I'll help you. I also would like to know what we were meant to do." Said Kannon.

"Thanks Kannon." Said Shade.

"How about you don't forget about me?" asked Sarah, standing next to Shade.

"Good to know you have my back too Sarah." Said Shade.

"We're here too." Said all their friends from Team RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, CRDL, SPKR and SSLM.

"All of you?" asked Shade.

"Duh! Of course were gonna help you three. While we are sure you could handle it on your own, we at least want to give you whatever help we can. Especially you Shade. You have really brought a breath of fresh air to us, and we are going to pay you back for that." said Ruby.

"You're my boyfriend. Can't let you do this alone now can I?" asked Velvet.

"She also made us come. We were going to do it anyway, but I thought you should know." Said Coco. Fox and Yatsuhashi agreed.

"You don't need to tell him that Coco." Said Velvet, embarrassed.

"You let us enter your circle of friends even after we were so horrible to you. You deserve our help." Said Cardin.

"Not going to let my brother die on me." Said Neo.

"Damn right." Said Risa. Kami just nodded.

"Pyrrha's ex. Enough said." Said Jaune.

"Yeah. We also need our band members, and Lilian has really grown to respect Sarah and you." said Sun. "Plus, we need our leader." Said Sun, finally accepting that Sarah was the leader of team SSLM.

"More like you don't want to leave Ruby." Said Yang.

"Didn't need to say that Yang." Said Sun, embarrassed.

"But it's true." Said Lilian, laughing lightly.

"So, are we going to leave today? Tomorrow? When?" asked Shade.

"Well, we all discussed this, and we think since we have been running around a lot lately, we should get a week long break to rest up." Said Weiss.

"Hell yeah, I second that." Said Kami.

"Alright. So one week of rest, then we need to talk to Ozpin and find out everything we can about the Blood Brothers, Reese Mars, and where they might be hiding." Said Blake.

"Agreed. So what should we do today?" asked Velvet.

"I don't know about you, but me and my team are going to train up a bit so we are ready for a difficult battle. See you guys in a week." Said Cardin.

"Alright. Now to the question, I don't know. I would suggest date night for all of us, but Kannon, Coco, Sarah, Neo, Fox and Yatsuhashi don't have anyone. So I have no idea. Maybe we should just break off into groups of four plus one group of five so Kannon has a group and figure out what to do from there. Any other ideas?" asked Shade. No one spoke up, so they just got into groups.

Shade ended up with Lilian, Blake and Yang. "My god. Ladies just can't seem to stay away from me can they?" said Shade, making a joke. Everyone got a chuckle out of it, even Velvet.

Kannon was in a group with Coco, Weiss, Ren, and Mercury. "Alright, what can we even do that we will all enjoy?" asked Kannon, getting four shrugs.

Sarah ended up with Nora, Risa, and Ruby. "Woo-hoo! GIRL'S NIGHT!" yelled Sarah.

Velvet was in a group with Neo, Kami, and Pyrrha. "This will be interesting." Said Velvet.

The final group was Jaune, Sun, Yatsuhashi, and Fox. "Sooooooo, game night?" asked Jaune, getting three nods.

"Alright, let's go do…something." said Shade, leading his group out.

"So, what do you guys want to do? I'm up for whatever." Said Lilian.

"Same here, just nice to get out once in a while." Said Blake.

"How about we go out dancing? I know a club that's pretty close to here." Said Yang.

"You mean Junior's place?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. You know that place?" asked Yang.

"Yeah. I'm on pretty good terms with Junior. I'm up for it." Said Shade.

"Alright, screw it. Dancing it is." Said Blake.

"Also, if you guys want, I could probably persuade Junior to give you a couple free drinks." Said Shade.

"Awesome. I'm in." said Yang.

"Sure, why not." Said Lilian.

"I'm not much of a drinker, but I guess I could make an exception for tonight." Said Blake.

"So glad we didn't get paired with Weiss. She would not be up for this." Said Yang.

"Yeah, she doesn't seem like the type to drink." Said Shade.

"She's not." Said Blake.

"Anyways let's get going." Said Shade and Yang, leading Blake and Lilian to Junior's bar.

After getting into town the group went over to Junior's bar. As they approached the bar some of Junior's men saw Yang and ran inside, shutting the door. As the group got closer to the bar, they heard the men shouting about how she was back. "Just a sec." said Yang. After Shade, Blake and Lilian stepped back, Yang blew the doors open.

"Guess who's back?" asked Yang, walking in. Within a few seconds all the guards had their guns pointed at Yang. Yang started to get angry until Shade stepped in to disperse the crowd.

"Relax guys. She's with me." Said Shade. The men quickly dispersed after Shade spoke. Junior then walked up to the four.

"You're back." Said Junior, looking at Yang.

"Yep. You still owe me a drink." Said Yang, walking over to the bar. Blake and Lilian followed soon after.

"That girl." Said Shade. He was about to walk over to the bar when he saw two of his old friends from this bar, Melanie and Miltia, out of the corner of his eye. He quickly walked over to the two girls, sneaking up behind him, and screaming in their ears. The girls turned around and started attacking Shade, but he quickly dodged every attack they threw at him. After a few minutes of attacks, the girls realized it was Shade and they stopped attacking.

"Just like old times, huh girls?" asked Shade.

The two spoke at almost the same time, one slightly after the other. "I thought we told you to stop doing that Shade." Said the girls, crossing their arms.

"I thought I told you that I wouldn't stop." Said Shade, crossing his arms as well.

The girls were quickly silenced after that. The two kept talking with Shade about nothing in particular until Yang, Blake and Lilian shouted across the club, telling him to join them at the bar.

"Alright. I'm coming. Talk to you girls later. Actually, would you two like to join me and my friends at the bar?" asked Shade.

"Sure. I guess we could join you four." Said the girls.

 **Just so you know, all six of them are getting progressively more drunk.**

The three began walking to the bar. When Shade and the two girls sat down, Yang locked eyes with the two, and got ready to fight.

"Yang… no." said Shade. Yang the sat down and continued drinking her strawberry sunrise.

"I assume you still want a whisky on the rocks." Said Junior, getting a nod from Shade. Junior got the drink and brought it Shade.

"What can I get you two?" asked Junior.

"What do you recommend?" asked Blake.

"You look like you would enjoy a daiquiri." said Junior, getting her the drink.

"I'd like a Cuba Libre." Said Lilian. Junior got the drinks and gave them to the group. Shade finished his in a matter of seconds and ordered another,

"Are you sure it's a good idea? You remember what happened the last time you got drunk right?" asked Junior.

Shade just looked at Junior. Junior got the message and brought him another round. Shade downed it again.

"What happened the last time you got drunk?" asked Blake, ordering another daiquiri.

Shade looked over to Melanie and Miltia. "That's not important." Said Shade.

"I disagree." Said Yang, downing her fourth drink.

"All I'm going to say is that we agreed that we would never speak of it again. That's all you're getting out of me." Said Shade.

"Who's we?" asked Lilian.

"You can't just ask him. You need to trick him into telling." Said Yang.

"How many time has that worked?" asked Blake.

"Well, it hasn't yet." Said Yang.

"Can you two shut up? I need to focus." Said Lilian.

Lilian started looking Shade in the eyes. Shade was confused.

"Who's we?" asked Lilian.

Shade wasn't going to respond, but found himself unable to control his mouth. "Me, Melanie and Miltia." Said Shade.

"What the hell?" asked the two girls.

"What did you do?" asked Shade.

"Not important. What happened?" asked Lilian, locking eyes with Melanie.

Melanie then spoke. "We spent a night together." Said Melanie.

"What in the fucking blue blazes of hell is going on right now?" asked Shade, downing his fourth drink.

"How are you doing this?" asked the two girls.

Lilian simply turned her attention to Miltia. "What did she mean by that?" asked Lilian.

"Don't look her in the eyes Miltia!" yelled Shade, figuring it out.

Miltia tried to look away, but was too late. "We had sex." Said Miltia.

"Dammit!" yelled Shade, downing another drink and getting another one.

"Oh really? One per night Shade?" asked Lilian, looking back at Shade. He didn't look away soon enough either.

"Nope. All in one night." Said Shade.

"What the hell is that girl doing to us?" asked Melanie.

"She must be using her semblance to get us to talk." Said Miltia.

"Don't let her lock eyes with you." Said Melanie.

"Don't worry about it. I got everything I wanted to know. Sorry Shade. What did you think of that?" asked Lilian.

"It was horrible." Said Shade.

"That's not what you said the next morning." said the two girls.

Shade immediately face palmed. "That's not what I was talking about." Said Shade.

"That was what I was talking about." Said Lilian.

"Really? Not your semblance?" asked Shade.

"Nope." Said Lilian.

"Oh. In that case, it was amazing." Said Shade, causing Melanie and Miltia to blush.

"Really?" asked Yang.

"Yeah. Truly unbelievable. I'm actually quoting past Shade with that line." Said Shade, smirking and causing Melanie and Miltia to blush even more furiously.

"Any lingering feelings?" asked Yang.

"We weren't together. Just a one night stand." Said Shade.

"Yeah. That was it. We agreed no real feelings, just sex" Said the two girls.

"So girls, how was he?" asked Yang.

"REALLY YANG?!" asked Shade.

"What, I'm curious." Said Yang with a mischievous smile on her face.

Shade as about to talk back, but he was stopped by Lilian.

"Don't fault her. I was wondering the same thing." Said Lilian.

"TWO OF YOU?!" asked Shade.

"Um…three…" said Blake, raising her hand and looking down.

At this point Shade just gave up, downed another drink and ordered another one. "I'm gonna need a lot more of these if I want to make it through tonight with my sanity intact." Whispered Shade.

Melanie and Miltia looked at Shade, as if asking his permission to tell the girls.

"Go ahead. If you need me, I'll be on the dance floor." Said Shade. When he hit the dance floor he noticed that "Angel with a Shotgun" had started playing.

"Unbelievable." Said Shade.

He joined everyone else on the dance floor and started dancing. Yang looked over, found Shade dancing, and was genuinely impressed with how well he danced, even though he was clearly at least a little tipsy.

"Yang? Did you hear that?" asked Blake.

"Hear what?" asked Yang, looking back at Melanie and Miltia.

"Three words. Five times… each." Said the girls.

"Interesting. Most guys are lucky to get two." Said Yang.

"Anyways, let's dance!" said Lilian, getting up.

"Yeah." Said Blake.

When the girls got on the dance floor, Shade found them and could tell that, other than Yang, Melanie and Miltia, they weren't great dancers. "You girls new to this?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. First time." Said Blake.

"Same here." Said Lilian.

"Alright. Want some help?" asked Shade.

"Sure, if you're willing to help." Said Lilian.

"Actually, I won't be able to teach you. I learned how to dance from Melanie and Miltia." Said Shade.

"Can you two help us?" asked Lilian.

"Of course. Let us give you some pointers." Said the two girls. As they were walking away, Shade mouthed the words, 'I owe you one.'

Melanie and Miltia simply nodded slightly.

"Yang, I need your help with something." Said Shade.

"What might that be?" asked Yang, curious.

"Come onto the dance floor, I'll tell you there." Said Shade.

"Umm, OK, sure." Said Yang following Shade.

Just as they arrived, a slow song started playing. Shade, knowing he needed the privacy, offered his hand to Yang. Yang took his hand, and they started dancing.

"So what's up Shade?" asked Yang.

"Alright, promise me you'll stay calm when I tell you." Said Shade.

"Why would I need to stay calm?' asked Yang.

"Promise me." Said Shade.

"Alright, I promise. What is it?" asked Yang.

"I'm going to propose to Velvet before we leave next week." Said Shade.

Yang was about to scream, but luckily, Shade clamped his hands over her mouth just in the nick of time.

"What did I say about being calm?" asked Shade, taking his hands off Yang's mouth.

"Sorry, but you can't just drop a bombshell like that and not expect anyone to be shocked." Said Yang.

"But please, keep this quiet." Said Shade.

"Alright, I can try, but I can't promise anything." Said Yang.

"Honestly, that's all I can ask of you." Said Shade.

"Ok." Said Yang as the slow song ended, and a fast song came on.

"Wait a second… this song…" said Shade.

"It's 'Shut up and Dance' by Walk The Moon." Said Yang.

"This song is my jam!" yelled Shade, getting on the dance floor and doing exactly what the song said, shutting up and dancing.

"Wow. Didn't see that coming." Said Yang.

Back on the dance floor Shade was having a blast. Just then Blake walked up behind Shade.

"What's up Shade?" asked Blake, never having seen Shade this happy.

At this point Shade said, along with the song, "Shut up and dance with me!" Shade held out his hand and Stared into Blake's eyes, asking her to dance with him.

Blake was caught off guard, but she took Shade's hand and began dancing with him.

At this point, Melanie and Miltia had finished teaching Blake and Lilian how to dance. They walked over to Yang.

"Shade seems to be happy. Happier than we've ever seen him that's for damn sure." Said the two girls.

At this point, the chorus hit again, and they all heard Shade singing along with the song.

"He seems to be having a good time. Maybe for more than one reason." Said Yang.

"What does that mean?" asked the two girls.

"Promise you won't tell him that I told you." Said Yang.

"Sure. What's up?" asked Melanie.

"He's going to propose to his girlfriend in about a week." Said Yang.

Melanie and Miltia were sent into a state of shock.

"Not kidding." Said Yang.

Melanie and Miltia were still in a state of shock. Just then Shade walked over.

"Girls? You two Ok?" asked Shade.

The girls were still as statues.

"You told them?" asked Shade, turning to Yang.

"I'm drunk! What did you expect?" asked Yang.

"Alright, fair enough." Said Shade.

"What did she tell them?" asked Blake, returning to the group with Lilian.

"Nothing." Said Shade, but Yang still told them.

"Shade's going to propose to Velvet before we leave!" said Yang.

"WHAT THE FUCK YANG!?" yelled Shade.

"Congratulations!" said Lilian. Blake simply smiled at Shade.

"Well you all know. Would you like to see the ring?" asked Shade.

"Um, let me see… HELL YEAH!" yelled the five girls, after Melanie and Miltia snapped out of their trance.

Shade took out the box and opened it. After opening it there was a perfectly crafted ring with a large diamond set in the center, and it was surrounded by small rubies. The ring was also twenty-four carat gold.

"My god! How much was this?" asked Blake.

"I believe it was slightly under 10,000 Lien." Said Shade, shrugging it off as if it was nothing.

"Alright. When did you get rich?" asked the two girls.

"While I was working here I was also taking up mercenary work. Pays really well." Said Shade.

"You worked here?" asked Lilian.

"Yeah. I was a guard here for a few months." Said Shade.

"Why did you quit?" asked Yang.

"I quit after a girl came in and beat the ever-living piss out of Melanie, Miltia, and Junior. I'm sure you know who that was Yang." Said Shade.

"No, who?" asked Yang.

"It was you Yang." Said Shade.

"I wouldn't say she beat the ever-living piss out of us." Said the two girls.

"Just because you wouldn't say it doesn't make it false." Said Shade.

"He's right you know." Said Blake.

"Fine. Point made." Said the two girls.

"HA! I told you I was out of your league. Anyone else want to try and out drink me?" asked a tall man at the bar.

"Hmm…" Shade left the dance floor and walked over to the bar and challenged the man.

"How about me?" asked Shade.

"Why don't you run along home little boy?" asked the man.

Shade took out his wallet and slammed 5,000 lien on the table.

"Alright. Maybe I can make an exception." Said the man, doubling Shade's money. Shade then put another 5,000 lien on the table.

"Junior. Bring us some whisky shots." Said the man.

Junior brought at least 30 whisky shots. "Are you sure you want to try and beat this guy? He can really hold his drink." Said Junior.

"Hey. If he wants to challenge me, I won't stop him." Said the man.

"I was actually talking to you. This 'kid' can really hold his drink. I don't think you can win." Said Junior.

"I can hold my drink better than anyone. Bring it on kid." Said the man.

"Alright. You asked for it." Said Shade, picking up a shot in each of his hands and downing them one by one. In a minute, Shade had already downed twenty five shots. The man only got five, until Junior brought another twenty and Shade said he would take a break for the man to catch up. The man started downing the drinks, but only made it to fifteen before he passed out. Shade took the 20,000 lien on the table and put it in his wallet, but when he stood up, he almost fell over.

"Go home Shade, you're drunk." Said Junior.

"No I'm *hic* not." Said Shade.

"Alright Shade. We're leaving, and you're coming with me." Said Yang, almost dragging Shade with her.

Shade, being the drunk bastard he was, replied with "You can take me anywhere you want baby." Before planting a kiss on Yang's cheek.

"Shade! Don't do that!" said Yang.

"Well then!" said Blake, unable to respond to that.

"Playing hard to get huh? I can deal with that." Said Shade, smirking.

"Let's get him back and into bed quickly." Said Yang, looking at the other two.

Shade also turned around to see Blake and Lilian. "Wait a sec. Three hot girls are trying to get me into bed?! Bonus points!" said Shade.

"Alright. He is drunk as fuck. Let's get him back to beacon and into his bed before he starts hitting on anyone else." Said Lilian.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Yang, picking up the pace.

A few minutes later, Shade passed out.

"That should make things easier at least." Said Lilian.

"Yeah, now he's not trying to make out with us anymore." Said Yang.

"Thank god for that. Imagine what Velvet would say if she found out about that." Said Blake.

"If I found out about what?" asked Velvet who was also boarding the airship with the other Yang, Blake, Lilian and an unconscious Shade.

"Um… well… Ok, promise you won't lose it when we tell you." Said Yang.

"It's Ok. I already know. I heard you when I came up." Said Velvet.

Blake recalled what had happened to Brittany, the last girl he was dating and accidentally cheated on in a drunken stupor. She didn't want him to go through that again, so she tried to cover for him. "Oh shit. Um, Velvet-" Blake was cut off.

"It's Ok. He was drunk. Can't fault him for that." Said Velvet.

"Thank god. I did not want him to go through that again. Shit I just shared too much. Now you are all curious and I should just shut up but I'm not because I'm stupid." Blake stopped herself.

"What did you mean by again?" asked Yang, her curiosity piqued.

"I think I should wait for Shade to tell you." Said Blake.

"But… fine." Said Lilian.

"Probably better this way anyways. He can give more details." Said Velvet.

"Yeah, anyways. Back to bed for Shade." said Yang. As the air ship landed, Yang brought Shade back to his room, she knocked and Neo answered that door.

"Hey Yang. He drunk?" asked Neo.

"Yeah. Can you take care of him?" asked Yang.

"Of course. Head back to your room. See you tomorrow." said Neo, closing the door.

"What will tomorrow bring?" asked Yang, leaving as everyone else went to their rooms.

 **Chapter ended. Wow I enjoyed writing this chapter. More than I thought I would. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Also if you would like to know what the others did during this let me know either with a review or a PM. But for now, I am out and I hope to see you all in the next chapter. Goodbye!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Now before I start, I just want to say that I never imagined that I would reach even 10, 000 views on this story, but, last time I checked, I actually have 12, 947 views on this story alone. Thank you all for your continued support on this story, and now to the reviews.**

 **Valkerix: Thanks for letting me know, but I think that if you really want to you can write a chapter like that because I only have about three or four good irl friends, but I planned to have a chapter like this since about chapter fifteen, so that may be why it turned out decent in any way.**

 **Writen: I know that there was a lot of mushy love story stuff, but I planned it that way because I needed some time away from big action fight scenes so I could get some ideas from my friends and some reviews about one. Also, just so you know, this will be another love story chapter, but there will be an action fight scene in an upcoming chapter, but I hope you'll still stick around for the love story stuff. It may be important later. Who knows? ;)**

 **Anyways with that out of the way, I only own Shade, Lilian and Sarah, and let's get on with the story already.**

Chapter 25: The Night After

The next morning Shade was stirring in his bed after sleeping in until noon. As his eyes began to open, he saw a face above his. As his eyes opened more, he recognized it as Velvet.

"Morning sleepyhead." Said Velvet.

"Ugh. What happened last night? All I can remember is a lot of dancing and alcohol. I think I lost memory around the sixth whisky. I need to talk to Yang or Blake or Lilian. Anyone who was at the bar with me last night." Said Shade, hungover.

"That bad of a hangover huh?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah. Where are Kami, Risa and Neo?" asked Shade.

"I think they went to the cafeteria with everybody else." Said Velvet.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Shade, standing up from his bed shakily.

"Need some help?" asked Velvet.

"I would like some. Thanks babe." Said Shade, leaning on Velvet.

"No problem sweetie." Said Velvet.

Shade reached out to open the door, turned the knob, but before he opened it, Ruby ran into the room.

"SHADE!" yelled Ruby, shouting in Shade's wolf ears.

"AH! As if the sensitive hearing wasn't enough, you had to do it when I was hung over?!" yelled Shade.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were hungover." Said Ruby.

"That's a lie. I told her you were." Said Yang from outside the room.

"Whose side are you on?" asked Ruby.

"The side where I'm hungover too and you used that damn whistle to wake me up." Said Yang.

"You also seem to be forgetting about me." said Blake, also coming from outside the room.

"Must've been horrible for you Blake." said Shade, walking out of the room and somehow holding a smile on his face.

"How is it that you are smiling after being hungover and having a high-pitched scream in your sensitive ears?" asked Yang.

"I guess I'm just a naturally happy person." Said Shade.

"Or you find my pain humorous." Said Blake.

"I think I can be happy for more than one reason." Said Shade.

This got a small chuckle out of Velvet.

"I need to ask you guys something. What the hell happened last night?" asked Shade, directing the question at Lilian, Blake and Yang.

"Are you sure you want to know?" asked Lilian.

"Oh god. What did I do?" asked Shade, nervous.

"Well, you were completely hammered, and when I said that we should leave and told you to come with me, you started to flirt with me, and if I'm remembering correctly, you said and I quote 'You can take me anywhere you want baby.' and then you kissed me. After that you tried to kiss Blake, Lilian and I multiple more times, but after a few minutes you passed out." said Yang, covering the whole story.

Shade's eyes widened. "Look when I get drinking I tend to get a little overly friendly and I'm sorry." Said Shade.

Yang and the others simply waved it off. But then they got a serious look on their face and they looked at Blake.

"You should really let him know about that too." Said Yang. Blake blushed a deep red, giving Shade the wrong idea.

"Oh god, what did I do to Blake?" asked Shade, almost horrified.

"Nothing, but I may have brought up that story of Brittany and I kinda told them you would tell them the whole story today." Said Blake.

Shade just sighed. "Alright fine. Not like I could hide it forever. Let's go to the cafeteria. I'll tell you there." Said Shade, about to start walking, but almost falling over. Luckily he steadied himself on the wall.

"Need a hand?" asked Velvet again.

"Yeah." Said Shade, smirking.

Shade leaned on Velvet and began walking to the cafeteria. When the group arrived at the cafeteria, they saw almost everyone sitting at their usual table.

"Where are Kannon and Coco?" asked Shade, noticing the two were missing.

"I'm not sure where Kannon is, but Coco said she was going into town." Said Velvet.

"Is there any chance she'll know where he is?" asked Shade.

"I'm not sure." Said Yatsuhashi.

Shade was about to respond when his scroll buzzed. It was a call from Kannon.

"Hey. What's up man?" asked Shade, but a hysterical sounding Kannon answered in a hushed voice.

"I need you to listen to me. I need help. I'm in town, come alone. I need to stay hidden. Just get here quick. I have to go. Please help me." Said Kannon before hanging up.

"I need to go into town. I'm going to look for Coco, maybe she'll know where Kannon is." Said Shade before running out of the cafeteria with no sign of a hangover, before anyone could ask who called him or what they wanted.

Shade ran through the halls and got to the airships. He got on the first one that was going into town. When the airship landed in town he went through the streets, looking for Coco and Kannon. While he was walking around, he heard a light sound coming from a music store. He looked inside and saw a man inside playing a flute. He wasn't sure what it was, but he really enjoyed the sound it made.

"Wow. You're really good at that." Complimented Shade, walking up to the man and temporarily forgetting what he was doing in town.

"Well, it's not often you find a teenager like yourself that enjoys the sound of a lighter instrument such as a flute." Said the man.

"I do know that's true." Said Shade.

"Would you like to try playing?" asked the man.

"Well, I've never played an instrument before. Unless you consider singing an instrument." Said Shade, chuckling.

The man also let out a chuckle. "Still, I could give you a hand with the basics." Said the man, handing a flute to Shade.

Shade shrugged and took the flute. As he grabbed it, he felt something, but couldn't put his finger on what it was, but the flute just felt… right in his hands. Shade instantly found the flute up against his mouth and his fingers were in the correct places.

"You really haven't played a flute before?" asked the man.

"Never. Maybe I just have a natural talent for it." Said Shade, in the only way he could describe it.

"Well, do you want to try playing without any lessons?" asked the man.

"Sure." Said Shade, starting to play the flute. To his surprise, not to mention the surprise of everyone else in the store, Shade began playing a beautiful melody. The man was shocked that Shade had never played a flute before. When Shade finished, he was just as confused as everyone else.

"Have you really never played flute before?" asked the man.

"Never in my life. But it seems like I have doesn't it?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. I think with a little practice, you could be a professional." Said the man.

"Maybe. You know what, I'm going to buy this flute. I'll get some practice when I can, and maybe I'll come back here and play something once I get better." Said Shade, buying the flute and putting it in his backpack. Shade waved goodbye to the man, and was about to catch and airship back to beacon, before he remembered that he was looking for Kannon.

Shade re-began his search. As he looked to the side, he thought he saw Kannon hiding behind some barrels. He called out for Kannon, and Kannon called him over.

"Shade!" whispered Kannon.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" asked Shade.

"I'm hiding duh. I need your help." Said Kannon.

"With what?" asked Shade.

"Distract Coco so I can get out of town. She's fucking crazy." Said Kannon.

"Wait. You're in town with Coco?" asked Shade, smiling.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Kannon.

"I see. What were you two doing last night?" asked Shade, being obvious with what he was implying.

Kannon, picking up on what Shade was saying, immediately shook his head vigorously. "NO! Not anything like that. She asked me if I wanted to come into town with her earlier, and I decided that I should try to open up to some new people, so I agreed. I immediately regretted that decision when she began taking me to a store to try and get me a suit. I am not getting a suit. The second she looked away, I ran! Pease help me Shade!" said Kannon, almost begging.

Shade stood up and looked around. Thinking the area was Coco-free, he told Kannon he was safe. However, he didn't look directly behind Kannon.

"There you are Kannon!" said Coco.

"SHADE! YOU TRAITOR!" said Kannon.

"Don't blame him. I saw you leave earlier. Followed you for twenty minutes. But why were you trying to get away from me?" asked Coco, faking sadness.

'She is good.' Thought Shade, noticing she was faking sadness.

"Oh shit, are you really sad? I'm sorry Coco. I didn't mean to make you sad." Said Kannon, actually concerned about Coco's feelings.

"What is it? Do you not like spending time with me? Do you really hate me so much so that you would see a moment that I wasn't paying attention as an opportunity to run away from me when I just want to spend some time with you? You hate me that much?" asked Coco, really playing up that she was sad.

'Oh my god. I know this is just a ruse, but I actually feel bad for her. She is really good.' Thought Shade, but he saw this as an opportunity to have some fun and mess with Kannon big time.

"Yeah Kannon. Why don't you want to spend time with Coco?" asked Shade. Coco was shocked that Shade was backing her up, but she wasn't complaining.

"Most guys would consider themselves lucky to be able to spend time with a girl as attractive as Coco, so what's the problem? Do you really find her that intolerable? Do you hate her that much? Personally, I would consider myself lucky if Coco wanted to hang out with me, but you decide to run away from her? She asked you to hang out, something that I know most guys at beacon would kill for, but you leave her? What the hell man? What's your problem?" asked Shade, also sounding serious, and maybe even slightly angry.

'Wow. Shade is really telling Kannon off. I didn't expect him to go so hard on this. He must really enjoy messing with Kannon, either that or he doesn't know this is a ruse.' Thought Coco.

While Kannon was looking at Shade, Coco winked at Shade, silently telling him it was a ruse. Kannon was talking to Shade, and it had reached a point where Shade could nod without making Kannon suspicious. He nodded, satisfying Kannon, but he was looking at Coco the entire time, letting her know that he knew it was a ruse.

"Anyways, it's not that I hate Coco. I don't. It's just… I mean… well… it's not… I just… " Kannon was unable to form a coherent sentence.

Coco just hung her head down. "Alright. Fine. I get it. You just want me to leave you alone, right? Fine then. I'll leave you alone. It's no problem. I'll just find someone else to go into town with." Said Coco, faking sniffling.

"Way to go Kannon. You made her cry. She invited you into town, and you made her cry. You really know what you're doing don't you?" asked Shade, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and his tone and words, making Kannon feel like the scum of Remnant.

In the background Shade thought he heard Coco chuckle, but she went right back to sadness. Coco then spoke. "Hey Shade? Would you mind walking back to the airships with me? I could really use the company." Said Coco, still playing up the sadness.

"Yeah, sure thing Coco. See you later Kannon." Said Shade, catching up with Coco. Once the two were out of earshot, they just burst out laughing at the top of their lungs, while still walking to the airships.

"We are actually horrible people, but that was just too funny." Said Shade, finally catching his breath.

Coco, however, still couldn't stop laughing. After a few more minutes of laughing, she finally calmed down.

"Hey Shade? Thanks for backing me up on that. I think it really helped drive it home. But I mean, you really layed into him hard." Said Coco.

"You see when I prank, I prank hard. I wanted to make Kannon feel like literal scum. That way his apology will be even more sincere and extravagant. I really want to see just how far he is willing to go to get you to forgive him. Come to think of it, I needed to talk to you about something, so this worked out in more than one way." Said Shade.

"Alright, what is it?" asked Coco.

"Well… you see… it involves Velvet… and… me… and… this." Said Shade, pulling out the ring, and making it obvious what he was talking about.

When she saw the ring, Coco's eyes widened. "You're going to… like… for real? Like one knee and everything?" asked Coco, dumbfounded.

Shade nodded and put the ring back in his pocket. "I'm planning to, but I want to have the ceremony before we leave next week, so if we want it planned in time, I'll probably have to do it today. So, how do I know that it isn't too soon and even more importantly, how do I know that she wants to marry me?" asked Shade, hyperventilating.

"Shade, calm down!" yelled Coco, slapping him.

Shade stopped hyperventilating. "Thank you Coco. I was freaking out. I needed that." Said Shade.

"I know, and you're welcome. Now, one more thing." Said Coco, before slapping Shade again.

"Ok, the first one made sense, but why again?' asked Shade.

"You asked me if it was too soon, and it made you worried she would say no. Of course she'll say yes, and about it being too soon, don't worry about it. Everything will go fine. I'm sure of it." said Coco.

"Thanks Coco. I needed to hear that." said Shade.

"So you're going to do it tonight?" asked Coco.

"Yeah. I'm going to invite her out to dinner and do it." Said Shade.

'So that's what that was about.' thought Coco, thinking back.

"Awesome. I have a question." Said Coco.

"Ask away." Said Shade.

"Can I help plan it?" asked Coco.

"It is not Ok that I knew that was what you were going to ask." Said Shade.

"You didn't answer my question." Said Coco.

"Alright. If Velvet is Ok with it you can help us plan it." Said Shade, making Coco happy.

"Wait a second. Did she say anything to you about marrying me?" asked Shade, curious as to why Coco was so sure of it.

"No, it wasn't anything about getting married." said Coco, before mentally face palming.

"If it wasn't about marriage, what was it about?" asked Shade.

"Nothing?" said Coco, hoping Shade wouldn't notice, but he did.

"What did she say?" asked Shade.

"I can't say. I'm sorry. I promised her I wouldn't tell you." said Coco.

"Tell me about what?" asked Shade, hoping to trick Coco.

"About last night after she got back." Said Coco, falling for the trick.

"What happened?" asked Shade, continuing.

"She- Wait a minute. You tricked me!" said Coco.

"You only noticing now?" asked Shade.

"You aren't getting anything else out of me." Said Coco.

"I don't want to try. By the way, I think Kannon likes you." Said Shade, randomly dropping a bombshell like it was obvious.

Coco was shocked. She was confused, bewildered. She had no response.

"What? You didn't know?" asked Shade.

"How… I mean… when… huh?" asked Coco.

"Just thought I should let you know. Thought you might be interested in the subject. I mean, it seems like something you would be pretty interested in." Said Shade, still treating it like it was nothing.

"But… Hang on a second. If he likes me, why did he run away from me today?" asked Coco.

"It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with you, or that he didn't want to try on suits like he told me. His mouth said suits, but his eyes and mind said something else. His eyes and mind said confusion and feelings. He didn't know how to comprehend these feelings that he got when you were around him, so he thought that if he got away from you, he could prevent these feelings from continuing. He thought he could get rid of them. He wanted to understand them, but he didn't understand himself. He thought that it was his proximity to you that was causing the feelings, but when he realized that getting away from you didn't stop them, he got scared. He was trying to find where the feelings were coming from. He looked everywhere except where they were actually coming from. He didn't look inside his heart. When you've had enough practice, you can pick out the smallest things, and make a pretty accurate assumption about what they mean. For example, if you'll let me, I'm going to look into your eyes and tell you something about yourself just from body language and facial expressions, Ok?" asked Shade.

"Good luck." Said Coco, looking Shade in the eyes.

Shade and Coco looked at each other for a few minutes. "Got it." Said Shade.

"Got what?" asked Coco.

"Let's see. You had a very troubled childhood. Your mother died giving birth to you. This caused your father to become an alcoholic. You blamed yourself for her death and your father's alcoholism, which is why you didn't put up a fight when he beat you whilst he was drunk, which felt like twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You didn't like it when your father drank, so you threw out his alcohol in an attempt to stop his drinking, but it just made it worse. Rather than giving up alcohol, he just went out to a bar in order to get some alcohol. One night he left and never came back. The next day, you found out he died. Since you were still blaming yourself for his drinking, this also caused you to blame yourself for his death. After his death, you needed to learn to fend for yourself. After only a few days, you realized you couldn't do it well enough, so you were put in foster care. Your foster parents were nice, but they were sheltering you too much, so you would sneak out every once in a while, until you were attacked by gang members one night. Just when you thought you were going to be killed, a hunter came and saved you. It was at that point you chose to become a huntress. So you could protect yourself, and you could help other children like you, children brought up in abusive or unsafe environments, and give them hope. That is the driving force behind your dream of becoming a huntress. Hope. You were able to find hope, and you want to help other children find the same hope you found." Said Shade, finishing up.

Coco was shocked. "How did Shade do that?" Coco asked herself, but Shade answered.

"When you understand the human mind, you can find out anything you want from almost nothing to go on." Said Shade.

Coco was still in shock. "But, my expression didn't change at all. How did you find out anything?" asked Coco.

"Wish I could tell you, but it's not something you can explain. Either you can do it, or you can't do it." said Shade.

"Oh well. Not much we can do about it then." said Coco.

"Yeah. Oh, by the way, I know." Said Shade.

"Know what?" asked Coco.

Shade simply smiled and winked at Coco, before saying, "Look we're here. Let's go." Said Shade, leaving Coco behind.

"You know what?" yelled Coco, but got no response from Shade. "Dammit. I think this may be bad." Said Coco before continuing walking to the cafeteria. When she arrived, she explained everything that had transpired, from Kannon running to Shade and her talking. She covered everything. All except for Shade's upcoming proposal.

"Speaking of my favourite monster, where is he?" asked Velvet, using the nickname she had for Shade when he was still with Blake.

Sure enough, looking around the cafeteria, Shade was nowhere to be found.

"Strange. We came back together. Where could he have gone off to this time?" asked Coco.

"I am everywhere." Said a voice that sounded somewhat like Shade's, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"But we can't see you." Said Velvet.

"I am right beside you Velvet. Look to your right." Said Shade's voice.

Velvet looked to her right, but saw no one. "I still don't see you." Said Velvet.

"Look down." Said Shade's voice, directing her eyes.

Velvet looked down, and saw Shade phase out of his shadow, emerge from the ground, and wink at her.

"You are nuts you know that?" asked Velvet.

"Who's crazier? The one who's nuts, or the one who loves the one who's nuts?" asked Shade, smirking.

"He has a point you know." Said Mercury.

"Shut up Mercury." Said Velvet before she rolled her eyes and kissed Shade. Shade gave Velvet a smile and kissed her back.

"I love you Shade." said Velvet after she pulled away.

"I love you too Velvet." Said Shade.

"Hey Shade, by the way, what is it that you know about me? What did you find out on the airship?" asked Coco.

"Sorry. Can't tell you." Said Shade.

"Really? I think you can." Said Coco, smirking.

"Why is that?" asked Shade.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you told me something on the airship. I imagine you don't want that to get out right now, do you?" asked Coco, blackmailing Shade.

"You wouldn't dare…" said Shade, narrowing his eyes.

"You wanna bet?" asked Coco.

"Fine. I know that-" Shade was cut off by Kannon running into the cafeteria and dragging him out.

"What the hell is it Kannon?" asked Shade, after Kannon let him go.

"I need your help Shade." said Kannon.

"With what?" asked Shade.

"Getting Coco to forgive me. You're right. I shouldn't have ran away from her. How can I get her to forgive me?" asked Kannon.

"I'm not sure. Besides, the apology has to be sincere, or she won't forgive you. She'll know too. In other words you need to think of something on your own. Sorry I can't help out." Said Shade.

"But I don't know her well enough. You might. Can you think of anything she likes?" asked Kannon, desperate.

Shade looked back at Kannon, who was basically pleading with him to help.

"Dammit. Fine, I'll help you out, but first, you need to look me in the eyes and swear that you are serious about this." Said Shade.

"Why?" asked Kannon.

"Do you want to apologize to Coco?" asked Shade.

"Yes, of course." Said Kannon.

"And you are serious about it?" asked Shade.

"Yes I am." Said Kannon.

Shade seemed to accept this as enough for him. "Alright. I believe that you are serious about this." Said Shade.

"So you'll help me?" asked Kannon.

"Yeah." Said Shade. Kannon stood there waiting for Shade to do something.

"Well?" asked Kannon.

"Alright. Here." Said Shade, handing Kannon his spare credit card that he always kept, just in case he needed it. "Tomorrow, you invite Coco out to town, and you buy her whatever she wants. Use my card. I don't care how much you spend. If she wants it, you buy it, no matter what. Also just so you know, I will be watching. I'll know." Said Shade, lying to make Kannon believe him.

"Alright. Thanks Shade, this really means a lot to me." Said Kannon, taking the card.

"Just make her happy." Said Shade turning to walk away.

"Thanks again Shade." said Kannon.

Shade just smiled back at Kannon before returning to the cafeteria. "I'm back." Said Shade, sitting down next to Velvet again.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Coco.

"Not important. Anyways, I know that you like Kannon. That's what I was talking about." Said Shade, shifting the interest to Coco so he could whisper something to Velvet.

"What is it Shade?" asked Velvet leaning in.

"I have been planning something for a few days now. It's a surprise, so come to my dorm around six o' clock. Wear something nice." said Shade, determined to ask her tonight.

"Ok, sure." said Velvet, unsure of what Shade had planned.

Meanwhile, Coco was being swarmed with questions about Kannon. All of them were along the lines of "Do you really like him?"

Coco looked at Shade with fury in her eyes.

"What? You told me to spill what I knew." Said Shade.

Coco's face immediately went from angry to defeated. She knew Shade was right. After this she simply nodded.

"YAY! Now we have another couple in our group!" yelled Ruby.

"They aren't a couple yet Ruby." Said Yang.

"But they will be soon right?" asked Ruby, looking at Shade.

"I am sure of it." Said Shade, satisfying Ruby.

"See. So we basically do have one more couple." Said Ruby.

"Umm, two actually." Said Sarah.

This confused the group. "Who's the second couple, that none of us seem to know about." Asked Shade.

"Umm, it's… well… me and… umm… me and… Neo…" said Sarah, blushing fiercely.

Everyone immediately looked at Shade, who had been listening intently until this point. His eyes looked like they were stapled open, and he looked like he had seen a ghost. He started to fall over backwards with his chair, and he passed out form the shock.

"Pretty much what we expected to happen huh Sarah?" Asked Neo.

"Yeah pretty much." Said Sarah.

"So he's out again. Should we take him to the infirmary or back to his room so he can rest?" asked Yang.

"I vote infirmary." Said Velvet, Neo, Kami, and Risa.

"Alright. Let's get going." Said Sun, picking up Shade.

Three minutes later, the group was hanging out in the infirmary, waiting for Shade to wake up. They were all facing him at the foot of the bed, but he was completely still. They heard the door open, and assumed it was a doctor, as they heard footsteps approaching the bed. Then, the person spoke.

"I really am sexy aren't I?" asked the voice. Everyone turned around to see it was Shade. They were all shocked and confused.

"How are you there and there?" asked Kami, looking between the two Shades.

"Watch this." Said Shade, poking the Shade on the bed. When he did, it turned to ice, and Shade shattered it with a punch.

"How did you even…" said Coco, unable to finish.

"When I use my semblance I leave a copy behind, this one was filled with ice dust, hence the freezing. I used my semblance to sneak out and trick you guys." Said Shade.

"You are evil, you know that?" asked Weiss.

"Yes I do. And that is also why you fell for me back then, isn't it?" asked Shade.

Weiss just looked away. Shade smiled in victory. "Thought so." Said Shade.

Velvet walked up to Shade and kissed him. Shade kissed back and saw Sarah and Neo enter the room holding hands.

Shade's face immediately took on a threatening look. When Sarah and Neo looked at Shade and saw the look on his face, Neo could tell what he was doing, but Sarah had never seen his face that threatening before.

"Umm… Hi?" asked Sarah as if she was unsure.

"Hi." Said Shade back, looking directly at Sarah, his expression staying the same.

"Umm, you probably want an explanation about this right?" asked Sarah.

"I don't need an explanation. I just need you to look me in the eyes for a few seconds." Said Shade.

"Why?" asked Sarah. Shade just looked at Sarah. "Alright. I don't need to know why." Said Sarah, looking Shade in the eyes.

After a few minutes, Shade looked back at Neo. Neo just nodded, and Shade nodded back. "Alright then. Congratulations you two!" said Shade, smiling.

"What the fuck did you just do?" asked Sarah.

"I know a lot about the human mind. I can figure out what some people are thinking about just by staring into their eyes for a few minutes." Said Shade.

"That's awesome." Said Ruby.

"It isn't easy to do, but it is pretty cool." Said Shade.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand, does this mean you are ok with me and Neo being together?" asked Sarah.

"For the moment, yes." Said Shade.

"That's a relief." Said Sarah.

"Yeah, it really is." said Neo, leaning her head on Sarah's shoulder.

"Hey Shade." Said Weiss.

"Yeah. What is it Weiss?" asked Shade.

"Umm, on the day after tomorrow I'm bringing Blake to Atlas so my father can meet her. I was wondering of you would consider coming along just as a kind of backup for us. I mean, it was you that got him to agree to our relationship in the first place. Maybe if you're there he will be a little nicer to her. Or at least not as hard on her as I am expecting him to be." Said Weiss.

"Alright sure. I'll come along. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for something. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow." Said Shade.

"What is it?" asked Yang, curious.

"It's a secret." Said Shade, leaving the room.

"Wonder what he's planning?" asked Weiss.

"Not sure. Must be important if he couldn't tell us what it was." Said Ruby.

"Yeah. He didn't say anything about it to any of us." Said Sun.

"No he didn't." added Sarah.

"Nothing here either." Said Kami.

"I wonder…" said Risa.

"Did you figure it out?" asked Mercury.

"I might have, and if it is what I think it is, then I understand why he didn't tell us. I also shouldn't say anything, but I am going to ask him if I'm right. Later!" said Risa, running off to the dorm room.

When Risa arrived at the door, she just opened it, but didn't see Shade anywhere in the room. However, she did hear the water running.

"So he's in the shower." Said Risa.

Just then the water stopped running and Shade walked out. Luckily he had a towel wrapped around his waist so Risa couldn't see anything.

"Jesus Christ Risa! Would it kill you to knock?" asked Shade.

"It's my room too." Said Risa.

"Point made. Anyways, what's up?" asked Shade.

"I just need to know something." Said Risa.

"Then ask already." Said Shade.

"Are you going to propose to Velvet tonight?" asked Risa.

Shade's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. "How did you even know that I was planning to?" asked Shade.

"When you got back with the ring I was still awake. Saw you thinking on how to propose. Just so you know, the idea with the fireworks was the best one. At least I think so." Said Risa, smirking.

"Then I'm glad that's the idea I went with." Said Shade, smirking right back.

"She'll love it. I'm sure of it." Said Risa.

"Thought so. By the way, I've been meaning to ask if you have a crush on anyone here?" asked Shade, curious.

"I'm not sure. I might like Cardin a little bit more than as a friend, but I don't think I feel anything for him at the moment." Said Risa.

"Alright. Good to know." Said Shade.

"Oh, and congratulations." Said Risa.

"For what?" asked Shade.

"Getting married." Said Risa.

"You're that sure she'll say yes?" asked Shade.

"Of course she'll say yes." Said Risa, rolling her eyes.

"Ok. Thanks Risa. Now can you please leave so when Velvet shows up we can talk in private. " Said Shade.

"Sure thing Shade. Have fun." Said Risa, leaving.

Shade then got dressed in a tuxedo that he rented for his date tonight. He also got the bouquet of lilies he bought earlier. After taking a few deep breaths to mentally prepare himself for tonight, he heard a knock at the door. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was already six o clock.

'Here goes nothing' Thought Shade before opening the door. As it opened he saw Velvet's face outside, but it in no way prepared him for what she was wearing. She was wearing a beautiful, strapless white dress, a pair of white high heels and just a little bit of makeup to finish her look off.

"Shade? Are you Ok?" asked Velvet.

Shade still couldn't speak. After ten more seconds of staring at Velvet, he shook off his shock. "Sorry about that. You just look so amazing. Couldn't help but stare at you." Said Shade, handing Velvet the flowers.

"Thank you honey." Said Velvet, taking the flowers.

Shade simply smiled before offering his hand to Velvet. "Shall we?" asked Shade.

"Yes. We shall." Said Velvet, pacing her hand in Shade's.

Shade and Velvet left beacon and boarded an airship into town. Once they landed in town, Shade seemed to be very on edge about something. He grabbed one of his pockets, and sighed.

"What was that?" asked Velvet, noticing his sigh.

Luckily, Shade had already prepared an excuse for this. "Oh, for a second there, I thought I had forgotten my wallet." Said Shade.

"Oh. Good thing you didn't." said Velvet, smiling.

"Yeah it is." Said Shade.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came up to a very fancy restaurant. As they walked up to the entrance, Shade saw someone waving him over. Shade nodded and walked towards the man, bringing Velvet with him. When they reached the man, he took the inside a room with only one table inside. There was a vase in the middle of the table which was filed with flowers and there was a seat on either side of the table. Shade went over to where Velvet was going to sit, and pulled out her chair. After she sat down, he pushed her chair back in. He then walked over to the other chair and sat down.

After they sat down, a plate was placed in front of them. Shade's had a steak on it, and Velvet's had a garden salad. For such a fancy restaurant, the portion size was quite generous.

"How did you know my favourite food?" asked Velvet.

"Couple things gave it away. First, you always get it when they have it at school, and I asked Coco." Said Shade, smiling.

"You didn't ask me?" asked Velvet.

"This was going to be a surprise right?" asked Shade.

"Good point." Said Velvet. After they finished talking and began eating, a man walked up to the table and began playing the violin (Cliché, but I don't care.).

"No expense spared huh?" asked Velvet.

"Of course not. I want this to be a date you will remember for the rest of your life." Said Shade.

"That may be a little difficult. This date will need a big finish. I mean a REALLY big finish." Said Velvet.

"I know. But I can at least try." Said Shade, smirking inside. 'There will be a big finish.' Thought Shade.

After the couple had finished eating, and Shade had payed, Shade began leading Velvet towards the docks. Along the way, he would constantly stop and look around, as if searching for something.

"What's wrong Shade?" asked Velvet.

"Nothing. Just felt like I was being watched." Said Shade.

"You too?" asked Velvet.

"You felt it too?" asked Shade.

"Yeah. Not sure from where or who though." Said Velvet.

"Maybe we just imagined it." Said Shade, shrugging it off.

"Could be." Said Velvet.

After they arrived at the docks, they saw a single bench set up and the sat down on it. The moonlight was reflecting off the water, causing the waves to sparkle in a way that made it seem like a dream. As they sat down, Shade noticed something he didn't prepare. There were a number of rose petals on the ground.

'What the? This is more romantic, but I didn't set this up. Who did this then?' Thought Shade, but he shrugged it off.

"This is so beautiful Shade. How did you manage this?" asked Velvet, honestly confused.

"You remember Matt? He can pull off some pretty amazing things if you know him well." Said Shade, smirking and putting his arm around Velvet's shoulders. Velvet leaned over and layed her head on Shade's shoulder.

"This was a really amazing date Shade." said Velvet.

"It'll get even better in three… two… one…" said Shade. Just as the countdown finished, fireworks began shooting into the air and exploding overhead.

"You really know how to set up a date Shade." said Velvet, admiring the fireworks.

"Must be a gift." Said Shade, waiting for the right fireworks to start.

"Oh look! Those ones are exploding into letters!" said Velvet.

"Huh. Yeah. They are!" said Shade, acting surprised. 'No turning back now.' Thought Shade, taking out the ring as Velvet turned around to see the fireworks.

"Let's see. W-I-L-L-Y-O-U-M-A-R-R-Y-M-E-V-E-L-V-E-T? What does that spell? The end is my name. So does it spell, 'Will you marry me Velvet?'" asked Velvet before realizing what she had just said. "Umm, Shade?" Velvet slowly turned around to see Shade on one knee and holding an engagement ring and wearing a sly smile on his face.

"Well Velvet? Will you marry me?" asked Shade again.

Velvet wasn't sure what to say. She began to shake and tear up. She couldn't say a word. She was almost frozen in place, but she managed to nod her head lightly and say "Yes." in as loud a voice as she could muster up, but it was still almost a whisper.

"Yes? Did you just say yes?" Asked Shade, making sure.

"Yes. I will. I will marry you Shade!" yelled Velvet, jumping into Shade's arms and kissing him passionately. Shade wrapped her in a hug and kissed her back, equally as passionately. After they finished kissing, Shade put Velvet down and put the ring on her finger. Velvet just looked at it and sniffled. "I can't believe it. We are actually getting married. We're getting married to each other!" said Velvet, happy beyond belief.

"Yeah, we are- Hang on a second." Said Shade, thinking about something.

"What's Ruby's semblance?" asked Shade, thinking.

Velvet was confused, but answered anyways. "It's speed. And when she uses it she leaves behind…" Velvet stopped, realizing something.

"Rose petals…right?" asked Shade, figuring it out and smirking.

"Alright Ruby. Where are you?" asked Shade.

Ruby slowly rose, showing that she was hiding behind some barrels. "Hi guys." Said Ruby, hoping that they wouldn't be mad at her.

"Is there anybody else? Just so you know, I will know if you are lying, so don't even try to." Said Shade.

"Yes, but I promised I wouldn't say where they are." Said Ruby.

"You don't need to. I can see Yang on top of that building, Weiss is hovering on her glyph up there, Sarah is also there, Neo is riding her, that came out wrong, Blake is under the bench we were sitting on, Pyrrha is standing on her shield and using her semblance to hover over the water, and I believe I can see my good friend Risa right over there in that alleyway." Said Shade, counting all the others that were watching them.

One by one, all the others came out of there hiding places. Shade had called all of them out. "Couldn't wait to find out could you?" asked Shade, crossing his arms and glaring at his friends.

"Well, we could've, but we didn't want to. Plus we didn't think you would notice us." Said Yang.

"Question. How many times has that worked before?" asked Shade, already knowing the answer was zero.

Yang was about to respond, but realized that it had never worked before.

"The man has a point." Said Weiss, landing beside Yang.

"Yeah. He does." Said Sarah and Neo, also landing behind Shade and Velvet.

"Sorry, but we had to see it in real time. It is just so much better than hearing about it later." Said Blake, standing up.

"Alright. I can accept that then." Said Shade. Velvet simply nodded, agreeing with Shade.

"Anyways…CONGRATULATIONS!" yelled everyone there.

"Thank you." Said Shade and Velvet, holding each other.

"So it's really going to happen? You guys are actually getting married?" asked Ruby, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Let's see. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. What do you think?" asked Shade.

"Another good point." Said Pyrrha, arriving on land.

"Congrats you two." said Risa.

"Thanks Risa." Said Velvet.

"So when are you going to get married?" asked Yang.

"Whenever Velvet wants to." Said Shade.

"I would prefer to have the ceremony before we leave next week, so maybe the day before that, if that works for you guys." Said Velvet.

"Whatever day works for you two works for us, but that means we will need to plan the ceremony quickly. Do you guys think we can pull it off?" asked Weiss.

"Alone, probably not. However, we don't have to do it alone. We have all our teams and friends back at beacon. They can help. Assuming the soon-to-be-newlyweds are Ok with that." Said Yang.

"I am." Said Shade.

"We will need as much help as possible. I am Ok with it too." Said Velvet.

"Alright. We should actually get back to beacon now. If we want to take care of this quickly we will need a lot of sleep so we can think straight." Said Blake.

"She does make a good point." Said Weiss.

"Yeah. She does. Let's head back to beacon." Said Shade.

"I probably won't be able to sleep tonight." Said Velvet.

"Too happy to sleep?" asked Yang.

"You could say that." Said Velvet.

"Honestly, I kind of expected that. Based on what just happened." Said Pyrrha.

"Yeah, but I can at least try to sleep. Let's go." said Velvet, grabbing Shade's hand.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Risa.

"Yeah." Said Shade, leading the whole group back to beacon. When they arrived where the airships should be, there wasn't one to take them back to beacon.

"Shit. Last airships must've already left." Said Shade.

"Anyone have any idea what to do now?" asked Weiss.

"Actually, I do. Matt lives nearby. I'm sure he'd let us crash at his place. He does have enough guest rooms for each of us, as long as we share with someone else." Said Shade.

"Works for me." Said Blake.

"Sure, let's head there." said Velvet.

"Alright. This way." Said Shade, leading them all to Matt's place. When they arrived, Shade knocked on the door.

Matt came to the door and opened it. When he saw everyone standing there, he instantly figured out what it was. Matt led them all inside, and directed them to separate rooms. Shade was with Velvet, Weiss was with Blake, Neo was with Sarah, Yang was with Ruby and Risa was with Pyrrha.

"Night everyone." Said Shade, walking into the bedroom and laying down.

"Hey Velvet? Can you try to keep it down tonight? Our rooms are connected after all." Said Sarah, winking.

"Keep what down?" asked Velvet.

"If you and Shade… 'get busy'… tonight, try to keep it down." Said Sarah, air-quoting the get busy.

Velvet just replied with "No promises." before winking back at her and walking into the room.

Velvet layed down on the bed and cuddled right up next to Shade.

"Goodnight sweetie." Said Velvet, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight honey." Said Shade, closing his eyes too.

The next day after everyone woke up, they thanked Matt for letting them stay the night and then left for beacon. They boarded an airship and discussed the ceremony on their way back. The exact second the airship landed, all their friends were there screaming at them for leaving and not coming back until the next day.

"What the hell took you so long?" asked Sun, enraged.

"Yeah? What were you guys doing?" asked Jaune, equally angry.

"Well, we'll explain at the cafeteria. Come on guys." Said Shade, unfazed by their anger.

The group continued to the cafeteria where Team CRDL and the rest of Team CFVY minus Coco, who was presumably in town with Kannon, were sitting and talking.

"Hey guys. Where you been?" asked Cardin.

"Just about to show you." Said Shade.

"Show us?" asked Yatsuhashi, confused.

"Yeah. You see, explaining it wouldn't do it justice, so, Velvet, if you would…" said Shade, looking at his new fiancé.

Velvet held out her left hand, showing off the ring. Almost everyone got the message instantly, but it took Jaune a few seconds longer before he noticed.

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!?" asked Jaune.

"Yeah. That's what I was planning yesterday. A date to be remembered forever." Said Shade.

"So when are you having the ceremony?" asked Nora, almost jumping across the table.

"We are hoping to have it before we leave next week, but we will need help planning it." Said Velvet.

"So, who's going to help?" asked Jaune, not getting the hint.

"Does he really not… I just… I give up." Said Shade, throwing his arms in the air.

"Wait…Did you mean us?" asked Jaune.

"No shit Sherlock. I can't even…" Said Cardin, shaking his head.

"But, how can we help?" asked Lilian.

"There is just a lot of planning that goes into weddings. We need help to figure everything out quickly so we can have the ceremony before we leave. Any ideas you have for anything, let at least one of us know. Preferably both of us, but at least one of us is necessary." Said Velvet.

"Alright. We will." Said everyone.

"Alright. Where are Coco and Kannon?" asked Shade, hoping to find out if Kannon stayed true to his word.

"Kannon came by our dorm earlier and invited Coco to go into town with him." Said Yatsuhashi. Fox simply nodded.

"When was that?" asked Shade.

Yatsu looked at the clock on the wall. "About five hours ago."

"They might get back soon. Hell, we may even have a new couple in our group when they do. I mean if Kannon likes Coco in the same way as she likes him… who knows?" Said Shade. He immediately regretted saying that when he heard a voice behind him.

"What did you just say?" asked Kannon, behind Shade. Shade's eyes went wide as he turned around to find himself face to face with Kannon.

"I don't suppose you are asking that because you went temporarily deaf." Said Shade, hoping he had.

"No." said Kannon.

"Well shit." Said Shade, bracing for a hit on the head from Coco. However, no hit came. Shade turned around to see Coco wasn't there. "Where's Coco?" asked Shade, hoping to distract Kannon.

"She's right here." Said Coco, walking in.

'Dammit.' Thought Shade, as Kannon's expression was the same. He hadn't been distracted. Shade looked at Velvet, almost pleading with her to tell them about his proposal as an attempt to get Kannon to forget about what he had said. However, Velvet just smiled back at him, waiting for Kannon's reaction.

"What did you say?" asked Kannon again.

"I said nothing. I said absolutely nothing!" said Shade.

"Shade…" said Kannon. "Did you say that Coco likes me?" asked Kannon. This sent Coco into full rage mode.

"WHAT THE FUCK SHADE?!" yelled Coco.

"I'm out!" said Shade, activating his semblance and escaping into his room. "Maybe they won't-" Shade was cut off as Coco kicked his door open. Her anger hadn't subsided yet.

"Bye again!" said Shade, using his semblance to run away again. This time he went to the roof. However, Coco still found him.

"Hello again." Said Coco, still pissed.

"I swear I didn't mean to. I didn't know he was there." Said Shade.

"Wait up Coco!" yelled Kannon.

"You want a couple shots too?" asked Coco.

"No. I want to do this." Said Kannon, pulling Coco close to him and kissing her. Coco was instantly sent into a state of shock. She thought that what just happened was impossible, but it had happened. Coco couldn't respond as Kannon pulled away.

"Umm…" was the only thing that came out of Coco's mouth. Shade however almost passed out again.

"What?" asked Kannon.

"Umm…" was still the only thing that Coco said.

Shade, having gotten over the shock, waved his hand in front of Coco's face. "You OK Coco?" asked Shade.

Coco just turned to face Shade.

"Guess it could be a good thing I said that out loud huh?" asked Shade, smirking.

"Seems that way." Said Kannon.

"Umm, Shade?" asked Coco, finally finding her voice.

"Yeah Coco?" asked Shade.

"I guess I want to say… Thank you." Said Coco.

"Why are you thanking me?' asked Shade.

"You see, I couldn't tell him how I felt, but thanks to you, I don't have to." Said Coco.

"Well, I'll just leave you two love birds alone." Said Shade, winking. Just before he left though, Velvet showed up. This reminded Shade to tell Kannon and Coco.

"Oh, by the way, me and Velvet are engaged." Said Shade, walking away. The last thing he saw was Kannon's jaw dropping and Coco smirking.

"By the way Shade, you need to pick your best man and groom's men. As well as I need to pick my maid of honour and bride's maids." Said Velvet.

"Oh yeah. I actually have some ideas about that." Said Shade.

"Me too. Why don't we go get them now? I'm thinking best man / maid of honour plus three others." Said Velvet.

"Works for me." Said Shade.

"So, see you later?" asked Velvet.

"You need to ask?" asked Shade.

"Point made." Said Velvet kissing Shade and leaving.

"Alright. Best man and groom's men." said Shade, leaving.

Shade first swung by the training room. Inside he saw Team SSLM. Sarah and Mercury were sparring with Lilian and Sun sitting in the stands. Sun noticed Shade outside. Shade waved him outside. He saw Sun stand up and leave the training room.

"What's up man?" asked Sun.

"Just something I need to run by you about the ceremony." Said Shade.

"Shouldn't this be the other way around? I mean, it is your wedding after all." Said Sun, chuckling.

"Actually, only you can answer this. I want you to be my best man." Said Shade.

"Wait… really? Me?" asked Sun.

"Yeah. You know me the best, at least out of all the guys here at beacon and I want someone who knows me well to make the speech at the ceremony." Said Shade.

"Alright. Yeah of course I'll be your best man!" said Sun.

"Thanks Sun. That really means a lot to me. Now, I need to get my three other groom's men, so I'll talk to you later." Said Shade, leaving.

Next, Shade found himself in the dorms outside Team JNPR's room. He knocked on the door. Jaune came to the door.

"Oh, hey Shade." Said Jaune.

"Hey Jaune. Is Ren around?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, he's just inside. Hey Ren! Shade wants to talk to you." Said Jaune, calling for Ren. Not long after Ren came to the door.

"Hey Shade. How are you?" asked Ren.

"I'm better than ever. But I need to ask you something." Said Shade.

"Oh Ok. What's up?" asked Ren.

"I want you to be one of my groom's men. Will you?" asked Shade.

"I would be honoured to." Said Ren.

"Really? Thanks Ren. I need to go though. Still need to talk to two others." Said Shade, leaving as Ren nodded and closed the door.

Shade then began walking to his own dorm room. He walked inside and saw Risa talking with Kami.

"Hey Risa? Mind if I borrow your brother real quick?" asked Shade.

"No not at all. Go ahead." Said Risa.

"Thanks." Said Shade, leading Kami out of the room.

"So what is it Shade?" asked Kami.

"I wanted to ask you to be one of my groom's men." Said Shade.

"Really? I would love to be one of your groom's men." Said Kami.

"Thanks. Now, I need to head into town." Said Shade.

"See you Shade." said Kami.

Shade left the dorm building and went to town. As he walked through town, he found Matt at the café he and his friends always used to go to.

"Hey Matt!" yelled Shade.

"Hey Shade. So, how'd it go?" asked Matt.

"She said yes." Said Shade.

"Congratulations." Said Matt.

"Now I need to ask you something. I want you to be one of my groom's men." Said Shade.

"Sure. I'd love to be in the ceremony." Said Matt.

"Thanks Matt. Now I need to head back to beacon. See you later." Said Shade, leaving.

Just as Shade got back to beacon, he found Velvet waiting for him. "Hey honey."

"I assume you just finished getting your groom's men?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah. You finished too?" asked Shade.

"Yep." Said Velvet.

"Alright. So, did anyone come to you with any ideas for the ceremony while I was away?" asked Shade.

"A few, but nothing major." Said Velvet.

"Alright, how about we discuss some things?" asked Shade.

"Probably a good idea. Said Velvet.

"Ok. So should it be a small or big ceremony?" asked Shade.

"I'm thinking small. Just friends from here." Said Velvet.

"Alright works for me." Said Shade.

"So, indoors or outdoors?" asked Velvet.

"I'm thinking indoors. Because, imagine if someone slipped and fell on the ground. Instant ruined dress or suit if we were outside, less likely if we were indoors." Said Shade.

"Good point." Said Velvet.

"Another good question, who is going to perform the ceremony?" asked Shade, realizing they needed someone to marry them.

"I could do it." Said someone walking up to Shade and Velvet.

Shade turned around to see Ozpin standing behind him.

"Headmaster? You can perform it?' asked Velvet.

"Yes. I was legally ordained a while ago. I'm fully qualified to." Said Ozpin.

"We would love it if you were to perform the ceremony." Said Shade.

"Very well." Said Ozpin before he walked away.

"Well, we got the really important aspects of the ceremony out of the way at least." Said Shade.

"Yeah. Now is just the fine-tuning." said Velvet.

"Yeah." said Shade.

"Anyways, Coco needed me for something. I'm not sure what it was, but she said she only wanted me for it. So, I guess I'll have to talk to you later." Said Velvet.

"Yeah. So, I'll see you later." said Shade, leaning in and kissing Velvet.

"For sure." Said Velvet, leaving to find Coco.

Shade left for his room and grabbed his backpack, a pen and a sheet of paper. He brought everything up to the roof. He took out the flute he bought, put down the paper and put the pen next to it.

"Well, I write songs, can't be too different for an instrument, can it?" said Shade, bringing the flute up to his mouth and starting to lay so he could get a feel for the sounds the flute made when his fingers were in certain places. After he was certain he had all the notes memorized, he began to write a melody. After about half an hour, he had a full song written down.

"Looks good. Let's try playing it." Said Shade.

Just as he started playing, Weiss came up to the roof. She was originally planning on scaring Shade, but decided not to when she saw how calm he was.

'That's amazing. He must have been playing the flute for years. I need to tell Blake about this.' Thought Weiss, taking out her scroll and sending a message to Blake, telling her to come to the roof.

Not long after Blake showed up and Weiss told her to stay quiet. They went outside to the roof, and listened to Shade playing the flute. One by one, they got everyone else up to the roof to hear Shade playing the flute. At this point Shade had gone through the song at least seven times, and it sounded perfect.

"Huh. That actually turned out well. You know, I bet I could write lyrics to this, and even though I wouldn't be able to sing it for practice, maybe Weiss will help me." At that point Shade turned around. "Will she?" asked Shade.

Everyone stayed in hiding.

"You can stop pretending you aren't there. I have sensitive hearing and I can hear you guys breathing back there. You are all there." Said Shade.

At that point, they knew they got caught, so they just came out.

"Called it. So, why were you guys listening from the shadows? Why didn't you just come out and tell me you wanted to listen?" asked Shade.

"You seemed so invested in practicing, we didn't want to interrupt you." Said Weiss.

"Well, I was pretty invested in that. Hard to believe I only got this yesterday huh?" asked Shade. Everyone was shocked.

"You only got that yesterday and you are already that good at playing it?" asked Blake, shocked.

"Yeah. Must be a natural talent of mine." Said Shade, shrugging.

"Anyways, you were saying something about lyrics?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. I remembered from the singing contest from a while ago that you were quite good. I was wondering, if I could think up some lyrics for the melody I just played, if you would consider singing it." Said Shade.

"Sure. I could help you out." Said Weiss.

"Awesome. Once I figure out the lyrics, I'll bring a copy of them to your dorm room so you can memorize them, OK?" asked Shade.

"Sure. Just let me know." Said Weiss.

"Alright, but I really should get to my room so I can get some rest. It seems like it's getting pretty late." Said Shade, looking at his watch, which read eleven o' clock.

"Yeah. So, we'll talk tomorrow." Said Weiss.

"Yeah. Night everyone." Said Shade, going back to his room, changing into his night wear and going to sleep.

 **And with that we have chapter 25! My god, I love writing this story. A lot of stuff happened in this chapter. Kannon and Coco are now a couple, as are Sarah and Neo, and Shade and Velvet are ENGAGED! Dear god, I am shocked about that. Well, not really because I was planning it. Also, considered leaving it on a cliff hanger there, but decided against it. Something I want hear from you guys, how did I do on the proposal? Good? Bad? Average? Let me know. By the way, first chapter over 10,000 words. Major milestone for me. But anyways, this chapter has ended, and I hope I will see you all in the next one. Goodbye!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Now normally I would say something interesting or random here before going to the reviews, but today I have a couple people to introduce you to. Come on out guys!**

 **(** Shade **and** _Velvet_ **step into view)**

Hello readers.

 _Nice to see you all._

 **Yep. I'm not going to be responding to your reviews today. These two lovebirds are. Have fun guys. (Leaves.)**

Well he could've told us what to do.

 _He left a note. So, now is when we do the reviews._

Alright so now is when he would say something like 'now to the reviews' right?

 _That sounds right._

Alright let's go then!

 **Valkerix:** Thank god! I was hoping so much that it was perfect but to hear someone else say it really makes me feel great. _But it really was perfect._ Thank you. Also I don't think you're a robot. _It wouldn't make sense if you were one anyways. If you are enjoying this story you must have feelings, so you can't be a heartless machine._

 **Cy:** Really? More compliments on the proposal? It couldn't have been that good. _Hey, don't sell yourself short. It really was amazing._

 **Dragoon Sensei:** Who's Neptune? _*Shrugs*_ **(The Burning Ruler returns.) I got this one. Originally I was going to put in Neptune, but decided not to and put in Sarah instead so I could make a new team for Sun. Also I don't really like Neptune's character. He just seems arrogant to me. But it's good to know you like Mercury. Bye again. (Leaves.)** That guys is nuts. _Yeah._

 **Novandalis:** Hello. I heard that you enjoyed this story from The Burning Ruler. You cared enough to tell him your thoughts. I also heard that you were the one that helped get him over his depression and got him back so he could continue this story. That's enough for me. _Me too. You are free to show up to our wedding if you want._ Yeah for sure. Consider this an invite.

Alright so now I think is the start. _Yeah, the only thing left is to say the disclaimer._ Shall we? _Yes._

 _The Burning Ruler only owns Shade, Sarah and Lilian. Enjoy the Chapter!_

Chapter 26: Smoke and Mirrors

That night Shade was having trouble getting to sleep. After failing to find sleep for the third time he decided to get some fresh air. He left his room quietly and headed to the roof. When he got there, he saw a shadow already outside. As he approached he could make out the figure as Pyrrha.

"Hey Pyrrha." Said Shade.

"Hm. Oh. Hello Shade." said Pyrrha.

"What's wrong?" asked Shade, noticing that Pyrrha seemed to be worried about something.

"It's nothing really. It's just… well… with you and Velvet and all the other relationships advancing, me and Jaune don't seem to be going anywhere. I guess I'm just concerned that it never will go anywhere." Said Pyrrha.

"Hmm. If you want, I can talk to him if you want me to." Said Shade.

"Really?!That would really mean a lot to me Shade. But don't make it seem like I asked you to do this for me. Make it seem like it's just your own curiosity." Said Pyrrha.

"You got it." Said Shade.

"Thanks Shade. I owe you one." Said Pyrrha.

"No worries." Said Shade, watching Pyrrha turn around and leave.

Shade just stayed up on the roof for a few more minutes. He was about to turn around and go back to his room when he saw a bright light coming from town. At first he wasn't sure what it was until he saw flames. He wasn't sure why but he felt like he needed to check it out. He jumped off the roof, rolling when he landed. He then took off in the direction of town. He managed to jump onto an airship just as it was leaving. He got off as soon as it landed in town and took off in the direction of the fire. When he got there he saw that it was Junior's bar. The whole exterior of the building was engulfed in flames, but looking in through the windows, he saw people fighting with Melanie, Miltia, and Junior as well as the guards. Shade jumped in through a window, glad he had his swords with him. He drew his swords and cut down three of the attackers in one slash.

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" asked Shade, shouting into the battle.

He heard Junior shouting back. "I have no idea. These guys just came barging in demanding to know where you were as this was your last listed place of work. When my boys told them to leave, they turned into what looked like creatures of Grim and started attacking everyone. I have no idea what is going on but these guys can fight." Said Junior.

"Blood Brothers. Their going after my friends to try and get to me. I need to go Grim." Said Shade. "Listen guys, these guys were bred to fight. There will be one that looks like a wolf, but has glowing golden teeth. Don't attack him. He's on your side!" said Shade, letting his grim blood take hold. He began to change into the middle of the fray. When the girls and Junior saw him they jumped back as Shade's grim form started slashing and biting at every Blood Brother he could get him claws on. Within five minutes, the remaining Blood Brothers ran away before Shade could kill them as well. After the remaining Blood Brothers had ran, Shade took control back from his Grim blood.

"Whew. Didn't expect that I would have to do that for a while." Said Shade, stretching his neck. He turned around to face the others, who were in a state of shock.

"Could you explain what the hell we just saw?" asked the two girls.

"Not much to say. Other than that I am what is known as a Blood Brother. I was genetically modified to be a grim hybrid. I am part Beowolf, Ursa and Deathstalker. The first success." Said Shade.

No one had any response to what they had just been told.

"Anyways, me and Velvet are getting married in a few days. If you want to show up, just let one of us know. I have to go back to beacon and get some sleep. I'm leaving for Atlas early tomorrow." Said Shade before leaving to get back to the airship before it left. He arrived just in time to get on the last airship going back to beacon. When he arrived back at beacon he went back to his room and layed back down on his bed. After closing his eyes, sleep found him quickly.

The next day, he woke up to a loud knock on his door. This also woke up his teammates.

"Ugh. What time is it?" asked Shade, turning around to look at his clock. It read five AM. This sparked anger in Shade. He got up and flung open his door. He saw Weiss and a still half asleep Blake standing there.

"Why did you wake me up at five in the goddamn morning?" asked Shade.

"We need to go to Atlas. My father wants us there around eight. About three hours to get breakfast, get onto the airship, arrive in Atlas, and get to my house." Said Weiss.

"Oh for the love of… fine. Let's go." Said Shade, following the two girls to the cafeteria after grabbing his backpack. He and the two girls grabbed a quick breakfast and ate it as they went towards the airship. Once they got on the airship, Blake fell asleep to get some sleep on the ride to Atlas. Shade tried to get to sleep, but couldn't. Unable to find sleep once again, he pulled out the piece of paper and pen he had brought with him. He then began writing lyrics to the flute melody he had played the previous night. Around halfway through the melody, he found that Weiss was sitting next to him, with Blake on the other side of him, and they were both staring intently at the paper. Shrugging this off, he simply began writing the lyrics again. Once he had finished he looked over the lyrics once more and nodded to himself.

"Looks good to me. How about you Weiss?" asked Shade, looking over to her.

"The lyrics are beautiful. You must have a talent for this." Said Weiss, looking over the lyrics.

"Well, he is the lead singer of a band. He has to be good at this. Kind of in his job description you know?" asked Blake.

"She has a point you know." said Shade.

"Alright. Well we are almost in Atlas. Shouldn't be much longer now." Said Weiss.

"Ok. Alright." Blake said to herself, trying to calm her nerves.

"Hey Blake. Everything is going to be fine. Trust me." Said Shade, calming her nerves considerably.

"He's right. I'm sure that everything will be fine." Said Weiss.

"Ok. Thanks. I needed to hear that." Said Blake.

"We know you needed to." Said the two.

"Hey. Looks like we're landing." Said Shade.

"Yep. Welcome to Atlas guys." Said Weiss.

"Hey girls? Is it Ok if I catch up with you later? I want to go somewhere before I go anywhere else." Said Shade.

"Well, why don't we come with you?" asked Weiss.

Shade wanted to make an argument, but couldn't come up with one that would work, so he just waved for them to follow him.

After walking through the streets of Atlas for about a half an hour, the group of three arrived at a graveyard.

"Why are we here?" asked Weiss, confused.

"I just need to say hello to a few people. Won't take long." Said Shade with a solemn look on his face.

"You're meeting people in a g- Oh." Weiss had started to say something when she realized what he meant.

"Do you want us to wait here or can we come with you?" asked Blake.

"You choose. If you want to wait, wait. If you want to come, come. I don't care." Said Shade, walking into the graveyard. Weiss decided to wait, but Blake came with Shade. Shade gave the lyrics to Weiss as something to do until they got back. The first grave stone Shade walked up to had the last name Politan on it. It didn't take long for Blake to realize this must be the grave site for Neo's parents as well as Shade's adoptive parents.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad. It's good to talk to you again. I haven't been by in a long time because I didn't actually stay in Atlas. Now I live in Vale and I am attending beacon academy to become a hunter. Neo is also there and we are on the same team. She is doing very well. She is dating one of my best friends and bandmates. She is very happy with her life now, as am I. One last little bit of information. I'm engaged to a faunus at beacon by the name of Velvet Scarlatina. We are getting married in two days. That's all the new information as far as my life. It was nice to talk to you again. Goodbye." Said Shade, before pressing his hand up to his lips and placing it on the gravestone.

"One more grave to go. Hopefully they aren't there." Said Shade.

"Who?" asked Blake, before Shade got up and started walking.

"You'll see." Said Shade continuing down the path.

After walking for a few minutes Shade began walking down the gravestones until he saw a couple that looked like parents in front of a gravestone.

"Dammit. They are here. But I can try." Said Shade, stopping before walking again.

As Shade approached the couple they looked directly at him and their eyes turned from sadness to hatred in less than half a second.

"Why the hell are you here?" asked the man.

"Just wanted to talk to her for a little while." Said Shade, pointing at the gravestone.

"Why should we let you? You're the reason she's here." Said the man.

"I thought I explained that it wasn't my fault." Said Shade, remaining stern.

"No you can't talk to her. Get out of my sight." Said the man, with a sense of finality in his voice.

"Fine." Said Shade turning to Blake and saying. "Let's go."

"What? You're just going to leave like that?" Asked Blake

"Yes." Said Shade.

"Alright. Who's grave was that?" asked Blake.

"It was… Britany's grave. Those two were her parents. She lived here before she moved to Mistral, where I met her. After the incident, her body was sent back here to be buried." Explained Shade.

"Is this the first time that you tried to talk to her?" asked Blake.

"No. After all these years I have tried at least five times to talk to her, and her parents have stopped me every time." Said Shade, hanging his head down.

"That's horrible." said Blake.

"Yeah, but I've grown to accept it." Said Shade.

"Still, it isn't fair to blame you for what happened." Said Blake.

"I know, but there really isn't a whole lot I can do about it now. Let's just get back to Weiss and head to her place." Said Shade, leading Blake towards the entrance to the graveyard where Weiss was waiting.

"Hey you two. You finished here?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Shade, putting up a happy façade.

'He's good at that. I wonder if he does that often. If I didn't know it wasn't true, I would believe it.' Thought Blake.

"I only do it when I'm trying to keep any negative emotions from showing through." Whispered Shade, answering Blake's question.

"You can't keep everything bottled up. It really is unhealthy." Whispered Blake back.

"I know. But some things are just difficult to put into words you know?" asked Shade.

"Makes sense." Said Blake.

"We're here. Welcome to my house." Said Weiss.

"Mansion." Said Shade and Blake.

"Alright. Fair point." Replied Weiss.

The three walked up to the front door and Weiss knocked. Not long after a servant came to the door and let the three in, already expecting two faunus to come with Weiss. After letting the three in the servant went to get Weiss' father. Meanwhile, Weiss was giving Blake and Shade the grand tour. She showed Shade where he was staying, but never showed Blake to a guest room. Shade was about to ask Weiss about that, until Blake asked.

"Um, Weiss? What room am I going to be staying in?" asked Blake.

This got a bright blush out of Weiss. Weiss was about to respond when a masculine voice came from behind the group.

"I believe she is inviting you to stay in her room with her." Said the voice. Shade turned around to see Weiss' Father and Winter.

"Hello once again Mr. Schnee. Nice to see you again as well Winter." Greeted Shade.

"Nice to see you as well Shade." said Winter.

"Yes it is nice to finally meet you in person. However, I am more interested in you, Ms. Belladonna." Said Weiss' Father.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Nice to meet you Mr. Schnee." Said Blake, holding her hand out to shake hands with Weiss' Father. Weiss' Father shook hands with her.

"The feeling is mutual Ms. Belladonna. May we speak in private?" asked Weiss' Father.

"Yes, of course." Said Blake.

"We will speak with you later." Said Weiss' Father.

"OK. Don't stay away for too long." Said Weiss, before kissing Blake lightly on the lips.

"Of course." Said Blake, kissing her back.

"Well, that's something I never thought I would see." Said Winter.

"I can imagine." Said Shade.

"Sorry about that." Said Weiss, blushing.

"Don't worry about it. So, how have you been Shade? Any news?" asked Winter.

"I've been good. Only a couple things. First, I learned to play the flute and second, I'm getting married in a couple days." Said Shade.

Winter almost passed out after hearing this. "Y-you're getting married? Like MARRIED married?" asked Winter.

"How many ways are there to do that?" asked Shade, confused as to what the difference between married and married married was.

"Alright, knock off the smart guy act." Said Winter.

"But that act is a part of me. If I wasn't like that I wouldn't be me anymore." Said Shade.

"Yeah, that's true." Said Winter, rolling her eyes. "Also, you learned to play the flute. Write anything yet?" asked Winter.

"Yeah, but me and Weiss haven't practiced it yet." Said Shade.

Winter just looked at the two.

Shade and Weiss looked at each other.

"I guess we could. I have the flute." Said Shade.

"I think I got the words as well. Why not." Said Weiss.

"Alright. Just give me a sec." said Shade, rummaging through his backpack and taking out the flute. He put the flute up to his mouth. Weiss cleared her throat.

"Ready?" asked Weiss. Shade nodded back and started to play the flute and Weiss began to sing.

Winter was impressed. Shade was playing the flute perfectly and Weiss' singing voice was perfect. Every note flowed into the next perfectly, and the lyrics were beautiful.

When the two had finished Winter began clapping. It wasn't long after she started clapping that Shade and Weiss heard two more pairs of hands clapping. They turned around to see Blake and Weiss' Father clapping. After they had finished Weiss looked over to her father.

"Well?" asked Weiss.

"It depends on how Shade answers this next question." Said Weiss' Father.

"So the relationship depends on me again." Said Shade.

"You could say that. So, are you ready?" asked Weiss' Father.

"Yes." Said Shade.

"Were you originally a member of the White Fang?" asked Weiss' Father.

"Honestly, yes. I was." Said Shade.

"I see. Well, I have made my decision. You see, I had found something on the internet about your girlfriend here. I learned that she was a member of the White Fang. Originally I had told her that due to her dubious background, that I was not Ok with this relationship, until she said that Shade was once a member of the White Fang. I did not know of this. I asked him so I could believe her when she said that just because she was once a member of the White Fang doesn't mean that she can't change. Just like Shade has." Said Weiss' Father.

"Um… English please?" asked Shade.

"Yes. I am Ok with your relationship." Said Weiss' Father.

"That makes me feel good. Knowing that I didn't give up my favor for nothing. So how are you t-" Shade was unable to continue when he turned to Weiss and Blake to see them kissing passionately.

"So… now what?" asked Winter.

"Why don't we discuss what we just heard?" asked Blake.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that for a second there." Said Weiss, almost giddy.

"Anyways, that was amazing. Everything was perfect." said Winter.

"Really? I thought it could use another instrument playing, just to add some more depth to the song." Said Shade.

"Yeah. I noticed that too. Maybe a piano or violin?" asked Weiss, trying to help.

"Yeah. I think that could work. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who could play either of those." Said Shade.

"Neither do I." said Weiss.

"Well, I'll figure something out. I always do." Said Shade.

"Yeah. You do." Said Blake.

The rest of the day was mostly just Shade, Blake and Weiss' family talking until after dinner when Winter had the idea of having some sparring matches outside.

"So, who's going to start?" asked Winter.

"I'll start." Said Shade, drawing his swords and twirling them around in his hands a couple times.

"Who wants to start against the leader and strongest member of team SPKR?" asked Weiss.

Winter raised her hand. "I want to fight him." Said Winter.

"Alright, but wouldn't it make more sense for him to fight someone who isn't a beacon academy graduate?' asked Weiss' Father.

"No, it's perfectly fine. How can I get better if I don't challenge myself every once in a while?" asked Shade.

"Alright. He agreed to it. Go nuts." Said Weiss.

Winter took out her sword. Shade raised his swords in a defensive manner. The one in his left hand was in front of him, pointed up and to the right. The one in his right was beside his right side, pointed towards Winter and up slightly. His body was turned to the right, his left foot in front of him. His right foot behind him. He was crouched down slightly. He loaded his swords with fire dust, and coated his swords in it, banging them together lit the dust, turning them into fire swords. When the fight started, Shade slashed towards Winter, sending a wave of fire at her. She jumped over it, just to be hit with another one that Shade sent up at her. It sent her back, but she recovered midair, and landed on a glyph and launched herself at Shade, scoring a cut on his arm, hoping to disable his arm long enough to get the upper hand. Unfortunately, Shade recovered from the cut quickly and ran towards Winter form, behind. Sensing the oncoming attack, she placed a wall glyph behind her, causing Shade to slow down, just in time to turn to the side. When he looked back up, Winter was nowhere to be seen. Shade turned around just to see Winter charging at him. Acting on instinct alone, he activated his semblance, leaving behind a fire copy. Winter hit the copy causing it to explode.

Weiss' Father was shocked at what he had just seen. He thought he had just witnessed Shade's death. Looking at Winter after she had recovered, it was clear she thought the same, until Shade ran at her from behind and jumped over her, wrapping his legs around her head and bringing her head into the ground in a head scissor. He flipped up, sending Winter into the air. He jumped up after her, switching to an ice dust, getting above her, and activating his semblance quickly to leave an ice copy on her back, causing her fall to accelerate, sending her into the ground and shattering as she landed. Shade landed behind her, just as she activated a glyph that Shade had never seen before. Not long after, a large arm came out of the glyph, wielding a large sword that looked to be made of ice. Shade, relying on simple logic switched to a fire dust, lit it, and attacked the arm. However, Shade simply bounced off the arm as it swung at him. Shade attempted to block, but the sword broke through his block, with little effort, sending him backwards. Shade briefly considered going grim, but shrugged it off quickly, deciding that might not be the best idea. Shade was breathing very heavily. Shade decided that his best option would be to get to Winter, but in order to do that, he needed to get past that massive arm. He activated his semblance, hoping to sneak past the arm. However, as he passed by the arm, it swung, seemingly at thin air, but it hit Shade, sending him out of his shadow.

"Arg!" yelled Shade, as the sword hit him, sending him backwards, before he fell to one knee, his breathing slowing down and becoming deeper, but he charged at Winter anyways.

"Shade! That's enough." Yelled Weiss worried about his safety. She knew that his aura had to be close to zero. However, Shade didn't hear her, and he didn't seem to be worried about his aura, still thinking he had plenty, as there was no gauge and he was too focused on the fight to check his scroll.

Shade went to slash at Winter, and she slashed back, avoiding his swipe, but landing a large slash across his stomach. Shade landed behind Winter, still standing, but with his swords pointed downwards.

It didn't take long for Weiss and Blake to reach Shade. When they reached him, he chuckled and coughed up some blood.

"Guess I got a bit… carried away huh?" asked Shade, smiling before the smile dropped from his face and he fell to the ground. It wasn't until he hit the ground that they noticed the deep gash along his chest and torso. It was bleeding heavily.

"Get a doctor!" yelled Weiss. Weiss' father, hearing his daughter's tone, immediately rushed off, not knowing what it was for. Winter, also hearing this, ran over to see Shade's gash.

"Oh my god!" said Winter, gasping.

"He'll be fine, his aura just got too low, and that final slash took him out." Said Blake.

"Why didn't he just concede if his aura was that low?" asked Winter.

"Shade knows that he can't give up when we leave. He knows that it will be kill, or be killed." Said Weiss.

"What do you mean?" asked Winter.

"Probably better that we let him explain it. Well, when he wakes up, I mean." Said Blake, as the doctor arrived and stitched up his gash, and wrapped it up.

"He'll be fine. Just needs some rest." Said the doctor.

"Thank god for that." Said Winter, wiping her forehead.

"Crazy bastard." Mumbled Blake.

"Yeah he is." Said Weiss.

Weiss took Shade to the room he would be staying in to rest up. Blake and Weiss followed Winter and Weiss' father to the main room where they stayed and conversed for about an hour. After about an hour they were about to turn in for the night when a new voice entered the conversation.

"I think it's safe to say I lost that one huh?" asked Shade.

"About time you got up." Said Blake.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Said Shade.

"It was only an hour. Less time than some other times." Said Weiss.

"Good point. Anyways, I am tired so I am going to bed. Just wanted to let you all know I was Ok." Said Shade, leaving the room.

"So, does he just not care about anything at all?" asked Winter, curious as to how he just shrugged off the fight as if it was nothing.

"Well, he didn't use every trick in his arsenal. Had he done that, you probably would've lost, even though you are a full-fledged Huntress and he is still in training." Said Weiss.

"Honestly, yeah he probably would've." Said Blake.

"He can be that strong?" asked Winter.

"Yeah. He only does that if he needs to to save his life or protect his friends." Said Weiss.

"Well. Good to know you're all in good hands as long as you're with him." Said Winter.

"Yeah we are." Said Blake.

"Anyways. We should probably get to sleep as well. Good night everyone." Said Winter.

"Goodnight." Said Weiss, as everyone went to bed.

Around midnight, Shade was awoken to the sound of someone furiously knocking on his door.

"For the love of…." Grumbled Shade as he opened his door to see Weiss standing there as she started shouting at him incomprehensibly.

"Hey Weiss. Calm down. What is going on?" asked Shade.

"They… are … here. Blood Brothers. Blake and everyone else are at the front ready to fight now… but we will need you." Said Weiss after calming down slightly.

"Dammit." Said Shade, taking off towards the fight.

"How many?" asked Shade after he got to the front.

"Hundreds at least. Maybe more." Said Blake, noticing Shade was there.

Shade knew that he might have to go grim, but wasn't sure if he should.

"Why are you even questioning whether or not you should?! Just do it!" said Weiss, seeing his confliction.

"Are you sure?" asked Shade.

Weis just looked at Shade angrily.

"Got it. Crystal clear." Said Shade. He then turned to Winter and Weiss' Father. "Don't freak out when this happens." Shade then closed his eyes and started to allow his grim blood to take hold. His bod started to become more wolf-like. His neck started to stretch. His arms and legs became more canine-like, with his hands and feet becoming paws. His nails became claws, his teeth became fangs, and his teeth began glowing gold. He then howled. He then sat down waiting for the Blood Brothers to approach. When they got within a few yards, they noticed Shade sitting there.

"What the hell?" asked one.

"Is it just a dog?' asked another.

"I don't know. Someone go up and pet it." Said a third.

Shade, noticing their confusion, began to play the part. He hung his tongue out of his moth and began panting like a dog does.

One Blood Brother walked up to Shade and placed a hand on his head. Shade began to press his head into the Blood Brother's hand. This confused everyone there. The Blood Brother then began petting Shade. **(AN- I just want to cut in here. Writing this part makes me feel strange because while I'm writing I tend to put myself in the shoes of Shade, so right now it feels like I'm the one being petted. It's strange.)** Shade seemed to be enjoying it, so the Blood Brother began scratching behind his ears.

"It is just a dog!" yelled the Blood Brother. Shade heard some chuckles in the background.

'Alright that's it.' Thought Shade, bringing one of his paws back and shoving it through the Blood Brother's stomach. The Blood Brother then died very soon after.

"Just a dog huh?" asked Shade, still as a wolf.

"Oh shit! It the original Blood Brother! He's here too!" said a Blood Brother.

"First the bar, now here?!" yelled another.

It didn't take long after that statement for Shade to realize that this was the same group that attacked Junior's bar. This lit a fire under Shade as he took the offensive and charged at the group. This caught them off guard. By the time the Blood Brothers had realized what was happening, everyone was at the group cutting them down as fast as they could. Shade was like an animal **(Puns!)** slashing and biting as many as he could, hoping to kill as many as possible, hopefully making the journey easier for everyone.

The Blood Brothers were fighting back, but it was clear that they were losing.

"Retreat!" yelled one who was clearly a leader. The Blood Brothers then ran away, trying to avoid any more unnecessary casualties.

"That looks like all of them." Said Blake, exhausted.

"Yeah. Look like it." Said Weiss.

"Thank god. Those guys were strong." Said Winter.

"Good thing we have the original on our side huh?" asked Blake.

"Yeah, would you mind explaining that now?" asked Winter.

Shade walked over, still in grim form. "Pets for explanation." said Shade, trying to be funny.

"Very funny Shade." said Weiss.

"I'm not kidding. Pets for explanation." Said Shade again, dead serious.

Winter rolled her eyes and began to pet Shade's head. After Winter finished, Shade burst out laughing.

"Oh my god! I did not expect you to actually do that!" yelled Shade, still laughing uncontrollably, and reverting back to his normal form.

"Yeah yeah. Just explain wolf boy." Said Winter.

"Alright. Simply put, I am what is known as a Blood Brother. I was genetically modified to be a Grim hybrid. The first success in fact." Said Shade, summing it up.

"A grim hybrid? Is that even possible?" asked Winter.

"It seems possible. Not very plausible, but definitely possible." Said Weiss' Father.

"I see. Anyways, I need some sleep. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Said Shade, returning to his room.

"Yeah, we're going to need some sleep too, so we should probably get to bed too. Good night." Said Weiss, walking away with Blake.

"Well then. That was definitely a shocker." Said Winter.

"Yeah. Who would've thought that that boy had such a dark secret? I just hope those Blood Brothers don't interrupt the wedding." Said Weiss' Father.

"I'm sure it will be fine." said Winter. 'At least, I hope it will be.' She thought afterwards.

 **(The Burning Ruler returns)**

 **How did everything go you two?**

I think it went well.

 _It did go well. I hope that your fans enjoy having us here. I had a good time here._

 **Why don't we ask them to leave a review about what they thought of having you two here as well.**

 _Can I ask?_

 **Sure go ahead Velvet.**

 _OK. Remember to leave a review about what you thought of having me and Shade here._

Actually I want to ask you, The Burning Ruler, about the whole pets for explanation part.

 _This is what he meant by it. (Velvet begins scratching behind Shade's wolf ears.)_

(Shade's eyes close and he starts smiling.) Damn these canine instincts.

 **That's what I meant. Anyways, remember to leave a review of what you thought of this chapter.**

 _ **Goodbye!**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello everyone! This is The Burning Ruler and I am back with Shade and Velvet…** _and another chapter of…_ RWBY: A Demon's Life!

 **That's right! These two are here again. A couple of you seemed to like them being in the intro and outro, so they will be joining me for the remainder of this story. However, I do have a bit of news.**

 _Yes, we all do._

Yes. We have just heard from our friend here, that this story will only have about five more chapters, give or take a couple.

 **Yeah. I had a really good time writing this story, and I hope you had a really good time reading, but unfortunately, all good things must eventually come to an end.**

 _Unfortunately, yes they must, but that's enough sadness. Let's start the reviews!_

Yeah!

 **Valkerix: Well, the wait is over. Hope you enjoy!** _I hope you enjoy this too. You seem like a really nice person._ Yeah, you're pretty cool. **No, he is awesome. Also, good to know you are keeping up with your story. Looking forward to it.**

 **Dragoon Sensei: Good to know. Thank you.** To answer your question, imagine the worst pain you can, and multiply it by pouring lemon juice on an open wound. That is the pain I inflict with a single punch. _No it isn't. You are not Saitama (One punch man.)._ **Yeah. But he is about three times stronger than a normal Blood Brother. And yes, ALWAYS pet the doggy.**

 **Guest: Then don't read it. Simple as that.**

 **Alright. That takes care of the reviews.**

 _So all that's left is the disclaimer._

Yep.

 _ **The Burning Ruler only owns Shade, Lilian and Sarah and we hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

Chapter 27: A traitor?

Shade began stirring in his bed around eight am to the sounds of clothes rustling. When he groaned, the sounds stopped abruptly. Faking still being asleep, he left his eyes closed until the sounds resumed, at which point he opened his eyes, to see Weiss and Blake, franticly putting on their under clothes.

"Thank god he's still asleep, huh Blake?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. Imagine if he was awake. He would kill us." Said Blake, chuckling.

"And what reason would I have to do that?" asked Shade, revealing that he was awake.

Blake and Weiss instantly shut up and slowly turned around to see Shade wide awake, standing up with his arms crossed and glaring at Blake and Weiss.

"Um. How much do you remember exactly?" asked Blake.

"Remember about what exactly?" asked Shade.

"About last night obviously. What else would we be talking about?" asked Weiss.

"What happened last night?" asked Shade, starting to get concerned.

"You don't remember? When you invited us back here last night? What we did?" asked Weiss.

"No. What did we do?" asked Shade, almost too scared to hear the answer.

"Think about what you know so far. We were all in the same room all night. You are wearing different clothes, and we were changing when you woke up. What do you think we did?" asked Blake.

Needless to say, Shade's expression instantly turned form concerned to absolutely mortified.

"Why did you agree to it?!" asked Shade, angry, mostly at himself, even though he didn't remember doing anything like that.

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Weiss.

"Um, let's see, how about the fact that I'm getting MARRIED tomorrow?" asked Shade.

"You aren't making any sense. What does that have to do with what we did?" asked Blake.

Shade just got even more confused.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like we had sex or anything like that." Said Weiss, laughing.

"Wait… we didn't?" asked Shade.

"Wait a second. You thought that we…" Blake paused.

"Well, with the way you described it what else would I have thought it was?" asked Shade.

"We just trained against you. You were giving us pointers on how to survive a fight against a Blood Brother and to keep our endurance up considering we need to go on a journey and that we will need to fight a lot." Said Weiss, clearing it up.

"Ok. That clears up some things, but why did you decide to change in my room?" asked Shade.

"To see if we could freak you out by making you think we bumped uglies." Said Blake, smirking.

"Well, it worked." Said Shade.

"We could tell. You looked mortified earlier. But we really should get ready to leave." Said Blake.

"Yeah, you should. Your airship is leaving in about a half hour." Said Winter, walking in.

"Half an hour? We need to hustle." Said Shade, grabbing everything he had and shoving it into his backpack.

"Yeah, we do." Said Blake, pulling on her shirt.

"Almost ready, just need to grab something. Meet me outside." Said Weiss, running off.

"Ok." Said Shade and Blake, leaving the house, waving goodbye to Winter and Weiss' Father before exiting the house.

"Wonder what it was she needed to get?" asked Shade.

"Not sure. By the way, who did you pick for your best man and groom's men? Just want to know who I have to dance with." Asked Blake, giving away that she was going to be in the ceremony.

"What are you? Maid of honour of Bridesmaid?" asked Shade.

"Second Bridesmaid." Answered Blake.

"You have to dance with Kami." Said Shade.

"Risa's brother right? The priest boy?" asked Blake, making sure.

"Yeah. Him." Replied Shade.

"Ok. Thanks for letting me know." Said Blake.

At this point Weiss exited the house and handed her scroll to Shade. Shade was confused. It was then that Weiss' scroll buzzed.

"Answer it Shade." said Weiss.

"Ok." Said Shade, answering Weiss' scroll. He saw Brittany's parents.

"Hello Shade. Don't say anything. At least not to us. But say something to her." Said Brittany's father, putting down his phone next to Brittany's gravestone.

"Really?" asked Shade.

"Yeah, sure." Said Brittany's father.

Shade turned back to look at Weiss. She just smiled.

'Thank you.' mouthed Shade back.

"Hey Brittany. It really has been a while hasn't it? Three or four years right? Kind of hard to believe isn't it? I wish I could've spoken to you earlier, but this was my only opportunity. I really miss you, you know. I still have nightmares about that day. I only hope you can forgive me for it. I didn't want it to happen, but there isn't really a lot I can do about it now is there? I guess I just want to say I'm sorry. For everything. But as long as you can forgive me, I can feel fine about telling you this. I'm living in Vale. Training at beacon to be a hunter, and I'm getting married tomorrow. If you want to, feel free to show up, just try not to scare anyone there too much Ok?" asked Shade, jokingly. "Anyways. I think it's about time for me to get going. Bye Britt." Said Shade, saying goodbye to Brittany's parents, hanging up, and giving Weiss her scroll back.

"Hey Weiss?" asked Shade.

"Yes Shade?' asked Weiss.

"Don't take this the wrong way." Said Shade, kissing Weiss on the forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Shade. Now, shall we head back to beacon? I imagine everyone is waiting for us." Said Blake.

"Yeah, let's go." Said Shade, eager to see his fiancé again.

"Well, you sure seem awfully happy today." Said Weiss.

"I'm getting married tomorrow. Of course I'm happy." Said Shade.

"Alright. You do make a good point." Said Blake, as they all boarded the airship back to Vale.

"Actually Shade. I meant to ask you about something. We still don't have a name for that song you wrote." Said Weiss.

Shade thought for a second. "Yeah you're right, we don't. Do you have any ideas?' asked Shade.

"No I don't. How about you Shade?" asked Weiss.

"I got nothing." Said Shade.

Shade and Weiss thought for a second before Blake chimed up.

"How about 'Mirror Mirror'?" asked Blake.

Shade thought for a second. "Yeah, that sounds good." Said Shade

"Alright, so Mirror Mirror it is." Said Weiss.

"Thanks Blake." Said Shade.

"No problem." Responded Blake.

"I just want to bring a couple things up now about the journey we are going on the day after tomorrow." Said Shade, taking on a serious look.

"What is it?" asked Weiss, also holding a serious look.

"Two things. First, I'm sure you already know this, but it will be kill or be killed. If you can't handle that, don't bother coming, you'll just slow us down. Second, the safety of me, Kannon and Sarah are the last priority. We can take more hits. If you need to retreat, just go. We can take care of ourselves." Said Shade.

"Got it. What is top priority?" asked Blake.

"Everyone else's safety. If you have to pick between helping me, Kannon, or Sarah, and helping someone else, help the other person. No matter who it is." Said Shade.

"Anything we should look out for?" asked Weiss.

"If Coco, Neo, or Velvet gets hurt, pull out. Especially if it is Velvet. That will cause a livid Shade to kill almost everything within reach. With Neo, it will probably be me and Sarah, and for Coco, it will probably be a very angry Kannon. Just, watch out for that Ok?" asked Shade.

"Got it." Said Blake, nodding with Weiss.

"Good. We should be close to Vale now." Said Shade.

"Yeah. I think I can see town." Said Weiss.

Shade looked out over the horizon to see the familiar streets.

"Yep. We are back home." Said Shade.

Shade, Weiss and Blake all got off the airship in town and started to leave for the ones that would take them to beacon. On their way back, they passed by the café they loved. They were just going to go by it, but Shade saw Velvet, Coco and Kannon inside.

"Hey. You two go on ahead. I'll see you back at beacon." Said Shade, entering the cafe before the girls could respond.

Shade got inside and went up to the counter and got a drink. He then went up behind Velvet, who was talking with Coco and Kannon about the wedding. Shade held a finger up to his mouth. Coco smiled, noticing him behind Velvet. Kannon just nodded lightly. Shade then leaned over Velvet's shoulder.

"How you doing honey?" said Shade.

Velvet looked over to see Shade. Before she could say anything, Shade planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Get a room Shade." said Kannon.

"Shut up Kannon. They're having a moment." Said Coco.

Kannon simply rolled his eyes and smiled before kissing Coco.

After the two couples finished kissing, Shade took a seat beside Velvet and the group continued their conversation. Velvet and Coco were discussing the ceremony, while Shade and Kannon were discussing strategies for the upcoming journey.

"OK so that just leaves us with one thing. Who's going to give you away?" asked Coco.

"I was thinking Yatsuhashi could." Said Velvet and Shade at the same time.

"Ok that was spooky." Said Kannon and Coco at the same time as well.

At this point everyone stopped talking.

"Ok. Let's not talk at the same time anymore." Said Shade.

"Agreed. So Yatsu is going to give you away?" asked Coco.

"Yeah." Said Velvet.

"Sounds good to me." Said a fifth voice.

Everyone looked to the side to see Yatsu and everyone else there as well.

"Hey everyone." Said Shade.

"Hey bro." said Neo.

"Hello, my future sister." Said Velvet.

"I still can't believe that you two are getting married tomorrow. It seems like only about a week ago that you proposed to her!" said Ruby.

"Umm Ruby? It was only a week ago." Said Jaune.

"Oh right." Said Ruby, thinking back.

"By the way Sun, how's the speech coming along?" asked Shade.

"The speech?" asked Sun.

"You know? The speech that the best man always gives at weddings?" asked Shade.

Sun's eyes widened. "Um, exactly how important is the speech?" asked Sun.

"You forgot, didn't you?' asked Shade.

"Um… maybe?" almost asking if that was the correct answer.

"Just speak from the heart Sun." said Shade, rolling his eyes.

With that, everyone sat down and began talking about the ceremony.

"So Sun's your best man?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah. He knows me the best out of everyone here. Well, at least all the guys here." Said Shade, remembering Pyrrha.

"Well, that answers your question Coco." Said Velvet.

"What question?" asked Yang.

"She wanted to know who she was dancing with. She's my maid of honour, so she has to dance with the best man. In this case, Sun." said Velvet.

"Really? In that case, you may want to watch out for Kannon, Sun." said Shade.

"Yeah. You make a good point." Said Sun, looking at Kannon. However, Kannon looked completely calm.

"Who do I have to dance with?" asked Ren.

"Who's your first bride's maid Velvet?" asked Shade.

"Pyrrha." Replied Velvet.

"There's your answer Ren." Said Shade.

"What about me Shade? Who's your last Groom's man?" asked Risa.

"Matt. Remember the guy who introduced us? Mercenary contracts?" asked Shade.

"Yeah of course." Said Risa.

"This week seems like it has gone by way too fast hasn't it?" asked Jaune.

"I guess you could think that." Said Russel.

Shade finished his drink and was about to get another one when he remembered a couple things he needed to do. Talk to Jaune and explain the story about Brittany.

"I'm going to head up and get another drink, anyone else want anything?" asked Shade.

Enough people agreed so that Shade would need someone else to come with him to carry them all in one trip.

"Alright. Jaune can you come with me so I only need to make one trip?" asked Shade.

"Yeah sure. I'll be right back." Said Jaune, kissing Pyrrha.

"How's it going Jaune?" asked Shade.

"Pretty good, but…" said Jaune before trailing off.

"But what? What's wrong man?" asked Shade.

"Well, it's about Pyrrha. I need some advice about her." Said Jaune.

"Well, you came to the right guy for advice on her. What's up?" asked Shade.

"That's the thing. I don't know. When we are alone together she just shuts me out. I try to talk to her and she just ignores me. I'm worried she may not like me anymore." Said Jaune.

"That seems strange. Doesn't sound like her at all." Said Shade.

"I know. That's why I need some help." Said Jaune.

"Hang on for just a sec." said Shade going back to the table.

"Hey Pyrrha? Can you come with me? I need to talk to you." Said Shade.

"Yeah, sure thing." Said Pyrrha, getting up and following Shade.

When Shade got back with Jaune, he really got serious.

"Aright, one of you is lying to me, and frankly, I don't appreciate it." Said Shade, threateningly.

"What do you mean?" asked them both.

"Pyrrha, you are worried that Jaune may not like you because your relationship doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Jaune, you are worried that Pyrrha may not like you anymore because she is shutting you out and seems to be ignoring you. Looking at this, only one of you can be telling the truth, and if you want me to help you out, I need to know who is lying." Said Shade.

However, rather than turning to face Shade, Jaune and Pyrrha turned to each other.

"You think I'm shutting you out?" asked Pyrrha.

"You think I don't want this to go anywhere?" asked Jaune.

"Please, one problem at a time." Said Shade.

"Alright. Ladies first I guess." Said Jaune.

"OK. So, you think I'm shutting you out?" asked Pyrrha, bewildered.

"Well, for the past few days I've tried to talk to you but you don't respond to me when I do. Even then, it seems like you are falling out of love with me lately." Said Jaune, voicing his concerns openly.

"What are you talking about? Of course I still love you!' said Pyrrha, as if it was obvious.

"You haven't said it lately…" said Jaune.

"Does that make men think like this?" asked Pyrrha.

"Not all men, but some of them. Mostly it's just guys who are insecure about romantic relationships, but even I have been like this before, and you know how secure I am when I'm in a relationship." Said Shade.

"That is true. So, you really think that I'm trying to shut you out?" asked Pyrrha, getting back to the real issue.

"Yeah. It seems that way at least." Said Jaune.

"I think I may know what the problem here is." Said Shade, as if having a revelation.

"What is it?" asked Jaune.

"I think Pyrrha was worried that you were becoming less interested in her because she was getting too clingy and desperate. So much so that you would want to leave her if she continued, so she devised a plan to make it seem like she didn't care where your relationship went, however, Jaune, you interpreted it as her shutting you out, when she was just trying to show you that she wasn't desperate." Said Shade.

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha. She simply nodded. "That's what it was?" asked Jaune.

"Yeah. I thought you wouldn't want me anymore if you thought I was desperate, so I tried to show you I wasn't." said Pyrrha.

"Even though, in a way, she was." Said Shade.

"Why would that matter? I love you, and the only reason that I would have to not want you, is because I NEED you." Said Jaune, kissing Pyrrha on the lips.

After Jaune pulled away, Pyrrha had tears starting in her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly.

"Now, on to the other problem. Jaune, Pyrrha is worried since your relationship isn't going anywhere, she is worried it never will. Response?" asked Shade, bringing up the other issue.

"I can assure her that it will go somewhere. I just want to wait until I'm sure we are ready. Don't worry Pyrrha. It will go somewhere." Said Jaune, reassuring Pyrrha.

Pyrrha wasn't able to respond. She just threw her arms around Jaune in a tight hug. "I love you Jaune." Said Pyrrha.

"I love you too Pyrrha." Said Jaune, returning the hug.

"I think we should thank someone here as well." Said Pyrrha, releasing Jaune.

"Oh right. Thanks Shade." said Jaune, while Pyrrha ran over and wrapped Shade in a hug as well.

"No problem guys. Seems like not only am I a hunter-in-training and a genetically modified grim hybrid, but I'm also a relationship counsellor apparently." Said Shade.

"Bit of a jack of all trades aren't you?" asked Jaune.

"Yeah. It seems that way doesn't it?" asked Shade.

"Anyways, we should get everyone's drinks now." Said Shade, going up to the counter and buying all the drinks. "Jaune? A hand please?" asked Shade.

Jaune then clapped and smirked.

"Very funny. Now help me." Said Shade.

Jaune smirked again and walked over to Shade, picking up the second tray and following Shade back to the table.

"We're back." Said Shade as he and Jaune handed out everyone's drinks.

Everyone started drinking until Shade spoke.

"Everyone, I noticed something. I still haven't explained Brittany to any of you." Said Shade.

"That's right! We forgot about that." Said Yang, leaning towards Shade.

"Are you sure you want to explain that right now Shade?" asked Blake.

"Better to get it out now." Said Shade.

Everyone leaned towards Shade in order to listen closer.

"Alright. Here's the story." Said Shade, beginning the story. Shade covered everything. No detail was left out. When Shade got to the part about her committing suicide he needed to stop and take a few deep breaths to try and keep the tears down as they threatened to escape. After the story everyone looked at Shade, and wondered how he was able to keep all the emotions inside and not go insane.

"That is what I was talking about when I said losing his parents wasn't even close to the worst thing that has happened to him." said Blake.

"After hearing this, I have to agree." Said Ruby.

"Seconded. How is it you are able to keep up such a happy façade with all the loss you have experienced in your life?" asked Coco.

Shade's face began to fall slightly, before returning to its normal sly smirk. "When you have had to go through all the shit I have, you have to find a way to or it will kill you from the inside out. All the loss, the pain, the death, the damage, the fear, the destruction. Everything. I guess after this long, I have just gotten used to it… mostly." Said Shade.

"It doesn't seem possible for a human being to just accept all that." Said Nora.

"You seem to be forgetting, I'm not a human being." Said Shade. "I'm a blood brother."

"He's right you know. Being part Grim probably helps him with that." Said Ren.

"Alright enough with the serious stuff! Let's get happy again." Said Ruby.

"Hell yeah I second that!" said Risa.

"We should probably bring up our extra thought for the party after the wedding." Said Neo.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that! We were thinking we could do some karaoke. But a couple things. We think that all the guys who are in relationship should have to sing together, as well as all the girls, and finally, the married couple should as well." Said Sarah.

"Sounds good to me." Said Shade.

"Me too." Said Velvet.

"Alright. Karaoke it is!" said Yang.

"So now that that's settled, where should we go?" asked Shade.

"I vote we walk around until we find something interesting." Said Sarah.

"That usually works." Said Kami.

"It hasn't failed us yet." said Pyrrha.

"Alright then. Let's get going then." Said Shade, standing up. Everyone else followed quickly.

The group walked around town for a few hours until Blake said something.

"Hey Shade. If we are looking for a place to go, why don't we bring everyone… there?" asked Blake.

At first, Shade wasn't sure what she meant. However, after a while, he realized there was only one place that only he and Blake knew about.

"Sounds like a great idea. Follow us guys." Said Shade, smiling. He led them through the streets and down the same alley that he had brought Blake on their first date.

"Where are we going?" asked Sarah.

"You'll see." Replied Blake.

"We're here." Said Shade, moving the bushes out of the way.

"Alright." Said Yang, walking through the bushes and gasping.

"What is it Yang?" asked Ruby.

"The most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Get over here now!" said Yang.

After hearing Yang everyone walked through the bush and had a similar reaction.

"Oh my god…How did you even find this place Shade?" asked Pyrrha.

"A friend of mine back in Mistral told me about it." Answered Shade, before starting to look around suspiciously.

"What's up?" asked Weiss.

"I'm not sure, I just have a feeling. It almost like someone else is here. Watching us." Said Shade.

"Someone like who?" asked Velvet.

"That's what I can't figure out. We are the only ones who know about this place… except for…" Shade paused.

"Except for who?" asked Sun.

"Except for my friend from back in Mistral." Said Shade, before looking back up into the trees before smirking again and waving into the distance.

However, no one else saw anybody. Then they heard rustling in the trees above them. They all looked up.

"Everyone, meet my friend from Mistral. Get down from the damn tree already." Said Shade.

The girl rolled her eyes and jumped down. The girl had short green hair and dark skin. Her eyes were red, just like Shade's. She wore high heels. Her left arm had bandages wrapped around her bicep. She was wearing a white shirt, green around her chest, with a black emerald symbol on the back. She also wore a pair of pants that went down to mid-calf that were white around her waist and brown the rest of the way down. She was wearing a brown belt and had her weapons strapped to the back of her waist.

"I am starting to regret showing you how to climb trees." Said Shade.

"I know. But maybe you should introduce us so that your friends aren't so confused." Said the girl.

"Alright. Everyone, this is Emerald Sustrai. My friend who found this place and told me about it." Said Shade. "Emerald this is-" Shade got cut off.

"Can we do our own introductions?" asked Ruby.

"Of course." Said Shade.

The teams introduced themselves one by one. First team RWBY, The Team JNPR, and when they got to Shade's team they realized Kami was missing.

"He was with us, must've gone somewhere." Said Shade.

"Not important right now I guess." Said Emerald.

After introducing the rest of Shade's team they moved on to Sarah's team, but Lilian was also missing.

"Hm. I can't be the only one thinking that-" Coco cut off Shade.

"Nope. You aren't." said Coco.

"Alright. Let's continue." Said Velvet.

"Alright." Said Ruby introducing Kannon.

"Finally, we have Team CFVY." Said Ruby.

"This is Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Yatsuhashi or Yatsu Daichi, and finally, Velvet Scarlatina." Said Ruby.

"Nice to meet all of you. Now I just need to ask something. I can't help but notice something. Velvet is holding hands with Shade. Are you two dating?" asked Emerald.

Shade and Velvet looked at each other. "Um, kind of?" said Shade, unsure.

"What do you mean, kind of?" asked Emerald.

"Well, we are together." Said Velvet.

"So you are dating?" asked Emerald.

"Well, actually, we are engaged." Said Shade.

Emerald just looked shocked. "Um." was the only sound that Emerald made for the next minute.

"Surprised?" asked Shade.

Emerald seemed to think about it for a second, before looking at Velvet, seemingly examining her, before shaking her head. "Not really anymore. She seems like a nice enough girl. I can see why you fell for her." Said Emerald.

"She's also not hard to look at." Said Kannon, before getting a death glare from Coco and Shade.

"That came out wrong! I mean she is beautiful, and I can see why you fell for her, but you know that I love Coco." Said Kannon, explaining himself.

Shade simply shrugged, but Coco was sent into shock.

"What's wrong Coco? Are you feeling alright?" asked Neo, confused.

Kannon also looked concerned. Coco then started to tear up.

"Um, Kannon? Was this the first time?" asked Shade.

"First time what?" asked Kannon.

"The first time you told Coco you loved her?" asked Shade.

Kannon then realized what he had said. "Um…" was all he said before smiling at Coco.

"You really love me?" asked Coco.

Kannon still just smiled at her.

"That looks like a conclusive yes." Said Emerald.

"Seems that way." Said Shade.

Shade was about to continue, but his ears perked up. He began focusing to try and hear what it was. It was faint, but he could hear what sounded like footsteps. At first it only sounded like a few sets, but after a few more seconds, it turned into what sounded like a whole army.

"Everyone, hide. Now!" said Shade, jumping into the trees.

Everyone was confused, but they listened. All getting into a tree or behind some bushes. After a few minutes of waiting, Shade saw a group of Blood Brothers enter his field of vision. After a few more minutes, many more showed up.

"Damn. Everyone stay quiet." Whispered Shade.

The Blood Brothers seemed to be searching for something or someone.

"It doesn't look like they are here." Said one.

"Maybe the intel we got was off." Said another.

"Doesn't make sense. They haven't led us wrong yet." Said one.

"True, but it seems that way. Guess we should head back to base. Maybe we'll get some more intel when we get there." Said the first one before they all left.

After the footsteps were inaudible again, everyone came out of their hiding places.

"Did you hear that? They knew that we were here." Said Sarah.

"Yeah. I noticed that too. Someone must have let them know." Said Sun.

"But who could it be?" asked Mercury.

Emerald seemed to be thinking.

"What are you thinking?" asked Ruby

"Didn't you say that there were two people missing from your group? Could it be them?" asked Emerald.

"No. It couldn't be them. They don't know about this place's existence." Said Shade.

"True. But then that means…" Yang trailed off.

"It one of us here. One of us is working for the enemy." Said Cardin.

"Strange." Said Shade.

"What?" asked Neo.

"Those Blood Brothers said 'They have never led us wrong before.' They. Which means it was more than one of us. To me it also says that they may have been behind some of the other attacks. Like Junior's bar and Weiss' house." said Shade.

'The only question is who it was." Said Russel.

"Not sure." Said Risa.

"Anyways looks like it's getting late. We should probably get back to beacon soon. Don't want to be tired during the ceremony do we?" asked Coco.

"No. We don't. Let's go." Said Shade leading all his friends, minus Emerald who needed to get back to Mistral, back to the airships. Halfway back to the airships, they saw Kami and Lilian in a store together. They were about to go in when they saw Lilian hug Kami tightly and then kiss him.

"Did I miss something while I was away?" asked Shade.

"Not that we know of." Said Sun.

"Well, shall we go inside?' asked Velvet. Shade nodded.

Shade walked in and walked right up to them.

"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?" asked Shade.

Kami turned around to see all his friends behind him.

"Um. Nope. Nothing at all. It's not like me and Lilian-" Kami was shut up by Lilian clamping her hand over his mouth.

"Please. Shut up." Said Lilian.

"Um. Right." Said Kami.

"So you two like each other huh?" asked Velvet.

"What? No." said them both.

"We saw you kiss Kami, Lilian. We aren't stupid." Said Yatsu.

"…Shit…" said Lilian.

"Yep. That pretty much sums it up." Said Kami.

"Anyways, congrats you two." Said Shade.

"Thanks Shade." said Kami.

"Anyways, we should get back to beacon so we can get some sleep for the ceremony tomorrow." Said Yang.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Blake.

With that, everybody went back to beacon and went to sleep.

'I'm getting married tomorrow.' was the last thing Shade thought before falling asleep.

 **Alright. There's Chapter 27 done.**

 _Kind of hard to believe isn't it?_

Yeah. But it has been a lot of fun at least.

 **That's true. Anyways, next chapter will be the wedding and maybe some other stuff depending on how long it is. Anyways, remember to leave a review of what you thought. Hopefully we'll see you all in the next chapter. But in the meantime, I need to get to a request one of my friends gave me. I will explain in the first chapter of that story.**

 _ **Goodbye!**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello everybody! I am back with Shade and Velvet and another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life!**

 _Is this the chapter?_

Yeah is it?

 **What do you mean is this the chapter?**

 _Are me and Shade finally going to get married?_

 **Oh that's what you meant. Yes it is.**

 _Yay! Thank you! *Velvet runs up to The Burning Ruler and is about to hug him but stops before she reaches him*_

You can hug him if you want. If I was a girl I would hug him.

 _*Velvet continues and hugs The Burning Ruler*_

 **You don't need to thank me for this. It was going to happen eventually.**

 _*She let's go* Does that mean we can't be happy?_

 **No, of course you can be happy. But you really didn't need to thank me.**

I don't think she cares.

 _Yeah. I don't._

Alright. But we really should get to the reviews.

 **Guest/Valkerix: Thank you but I was pretty sure that you did.** _Yeah. You have stuck around for the whole story._ Yeah of course. Wait what does that next part say **?** **Nothing important. Anyways thank you for sticking around. Hey, Shade look at what he said about you. He says you are everything he wants to be.** Awesome. Wait what did he say about Velvet? _Thank you. I'm glad I'm your favourite._ **Um Shade? Are you ok?** *Shade starts to go Grim* **Oh shit. Valkerix, you may want to start running. Me and Velvet can stop him, but you need to RUN! NOW!**

 **DragoonSensei: Well the wait is over. I hope you enjoy it.** _So do we._ I hope you have a good time.

 **Anyways, that ends the reviews.**

 _So me and Shade are going to get married soon?_

 **Yep. You may want to start getting ready.**

Right. See you at the ceremony Velvet.

 _I need to get ready too! See you!_

 _*Shade and Velvet leave*_

 **Well then. I guess I need to do this on my own. I only own Shade, Lilian, and Sarah and let's get on with the chapter.**

Chapter 28: Till Death Do Us Part.

The next day Shade woke up to Risa shaking him.

"GET UP SHADE!" yelled Risa.

"What is it?" asked Shade, groggily.

"You need to get up! Your wedding begins in a half hour!" yelled Risa.

Shade then jumped out of his bed and ran into the shower. After turning on the shower, Neo and Kami woke up.

"What are you screaming about?" asked Kami.

"I pranked Shade. He might kill me when he gets out, but it was worth it." Said Risa.

"What did you say?" asked Neo.

"I told him his wedding starts in half an hour." Said Risa.

"Um, yeah, Risa. You should know, I don't think he's going to stop at killing you." Said Neo.

At this point Shade came out of the shower and looked at the clock which read noon.

"Um Risa. My wedding doesn't start until 2:00 pm. I have two hours. Why did you-"Shade stopped suddenly when he realised that Risa was laughing. "Did you lie to me?" asked Shade.

"Um. Are you mad?" asked Risa.

"A little." Said Shade.

"Yeah I did." Said Risa.

"If I wasn't getting married today, I would cause you a lot of pain. But I don't want to get blood on me." Said Shade.

"Thank you. Considering I'm a bride's maid that would cause some unwanted problems." Said Risa.

"Point made." Said Shade.

"So this is really going to happen? You really are getting married?" asked Kami.

"I know what you mean. It's kind of hard to believe isn't it?" asked Shade.

"Yeah it is. But I am happy for you Shade." said a voice from outside the window.

Shade looked over to the window to see Emerald sitting in the tree.

"Hello Emerald. Nice to see you again." Said Neo.

"You too Neo. Shade? Maybe you should put on some pants." Suggested Emerald.

It was at this point Shade noticed that he wasn't wearing pants. He walked over to his dress outfit and put on his dress pants. "Sorry about that." Said Shade.

"No worries." Said Emerald.

"Anyways, we should probably get dressed and pick up everyone. But I have to be careful to make sure I don't see Velvet before the ceremony." Said Shade.

"Why?" asked Emerald.

"It's considered to be bad luck if the groom sees the bride before she walks down the aisle." Said Neo.

"Oh. See I don't believe in luck." Said Emerald.

"Neither do I. I just want to be safe." Said Shade, putting on his red under shirt and black shoes.

Meanwhile, Kami, Risa and Neo were putting on their dress clothes. Kami was putting on a traditional white under shirt and black jacket along with black pants and a black bow tie along with black shoes. Risa was putting on a pink dress that went down to her knees and a pair of pink high heels. Neo wore predominately pink dress with black accents here and there. She also put on a pair of pink high heels that weren't quite as high as Risa's.

"Looking good bro." said Neo after Shade put on his black jacket and his red tie. Shade brushed his hair and put some gel in it to keep it neat during the ceremony but still kept his right eye covered with his bangs.

"Thank you Neo. You look good too." Said Shade. He then left with Kami and Risa to pick up Ren, Coco and Blake and left Neo to get the others who weren't involved on the ceremony. They all began walking to the cafeteria as it was the only area in the school big enough to hold the ceremony. **(AN- Everyone will be wearing the suits / dresses they wore on the date involving all the couples unless otherwise specified.)**

"Ready Shade?" asked Sun.

"You better believe it Sun." said Shade.

"I just have to say, I did not expect this to happen so soon." Said Matt, walking in dressed in a traditional suit, other than his undershirt which was purple and his tie of the same color.

"I pretty sure none of us did." Said everyone as they arrived in the cafeteria.

"I never thought beacon academy would be the setting for a wedding." Said Ozpin, walking in.

"It does seem unexpected doesn't it?" asked Shade.

"Yeah it does." Said Yang.

"Doesn't this place seem a little plain for a wedding ceremony?" asked Weiss.

"I've got it covered." Said Ozpin, clapping twice.

At this point, all the other teachers came in and set the cafeteria up for the wedding. They set the chairs up to face the front and set up a stereo for the karaoke after the ceremony.

"Hey Shade? Can I talk to you for a sec? In private?" asked Kannon, clearly uncomfortable in the dark green suit Coco obviously forced him into.

"If this is about you wearing a suit, yes you have to." Said Shade.

"No. That's not it. It's about the karaoke. You see, I can't sing at all. I sound like a dying cat when I sing." Said Kannon.

"I wish I could help you dude, but maybe you could pretend to be sick." Said Shade.

"No. I don't want Coco to worry about me." Said Kannon.

"Well that makes it difficult. I'll try to think of something else but I might not." Said Shade.

"Ok. Maybe I'll think of something." Said Kannon.

"Hey guys? It's 1:45. Fifteen minutes left." Said Yang.

"We should probably start getting set up." Said Ren.

At this point all the Groom's men and Bride's maids went outside the cafeteria so they could walk in together like they should. Shade stood up at the altar and got ready. 'No turning back now.' Thought Shade.

A camera was set up to record the ceremony. Ozpin also took his place at the altar. Just as the clock hit 10:00 am, music started to play. It started with Sun and Coco walking down the aisle with their arms linked. After them it was Ren and Pyrrha walking down together followed by Kami and Blake, and finally Matt and Risa. Each of them took their place either behind where Shade was standing or where Velvet would be standing. As the music continued Yatsu and Velvet began walking down the aisle towards the altar. Velvet was wearing beautifully crafted white strapless dress made of lace that went down to her ankles. The only thing Shade could think of was how perfectly the dress fit Velvet's form. After Yatsu let go of Velvet's arm she joined Shade at the altar.

After Velvet was at the altar, Ozpin began speaking.

"Friends, Family. We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Under normal circumstances, a wedding would not be permitted here at beacon academy. However, after seeing the love shared by these two, it was impossible to deny them a ceremony. All of us need and desire to love and to be loved, and the highest form of love between two people is within a monogamous, committed relationship. Shade and Velvet, your marriage today is the public and legal joining of your souls that have already been united as one in your hearts. Marriage will allow you a new environment to share your lives together, standing together to face life and the world, hand-in-hand. Marriage is going to expand you as individuals, define you as a couple, and deepen your love for one another. To be successful, you will need strength, courage, patience and a really good sense of humour. Especially you Velvet, because your marrying Shade." Everyone chuckled, including Shade. "So, let your marriage be a time of waking each morning and falling in love with each other all over again. Velvet, please repeat after me."

"I, Velvet…." "I Velvet." "Take you Shade…" Take you Shade." "As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death parts us." "As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death parts us." Finished Velvet.

"Now Shade, repeat after me. I, Shade…" "I, Shade." Take you Velvet…" Take you Velvet." "As my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, until death parts us." "As my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, until death parts us." Finished Shade.

"Do we have the rings?" asked Ozpin as Sun and Coco handed the rings to him. He held one out to Velvet. "Velvet, place this ring on Shade's finger, as a symbol of your bond everlasting." Said Ozpin as she put the ring on Shade's ring finger. "Shade, place this ring in Velvet's hand, as a symbol of the love that encircles you forever." Shade then put the ring in her hand.

"Shade and Velvet have made their declarations, and it gives me great pleasure to pronounce them husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Said Ozpin.

Shade moved the veil out of Velvet's face, smiled back at her, and planted a very passionate kiss on her lips as the rest of their friends clapped. As the music started again Shade and Velvet walked down the aisle holding hands. After they exited the cafeteria, they waited for a few minutes until they saw Oobleck wave them back in. When they walked back in, everything was set up for the reception. The karaoke machine was on the stage with a microphone. There were tables set up everywhere. And the head table was right up at the front. Shade and Velvet went and sat down with the rest of the wedding party. Shade began looking around and saw that everyone he invited was there, including Melanie, Miltia and Junior. They sat and spoke for a while until Sun walked up and started his speech.

Sun took a deep breath and began. "Hello everyone. As you know, I am Shade's best man, so it is customary that I give a speech. I have known Shade for years, and Velvet for a few months. Even though I have only known Velvet for a few months, I cannot imagine anyone more perfect for Shade, nor can I imagine anyone more perfect for Velvet than Shade. Even though Velvet wasn't Shade's first girlfriend here at beacon, I believe she is the best. No offense meant to Blake or Weiss. Shade, Velvet. I only have one thing to say now. You two are perfect for each other, and I am sure that if anyone can make a marriage work, it is you two." Said Sun as he finished his speech and everyone began clapping.

"That was a beautiful speech Sun." said Velvet.

"It really was." Said Shade.

"Thanks guys." Replied Sun.

"I think it's almost time we started the karaoke." Said Ren.

"Yeah we should. Let's get everyone." Said Shade, going over to Kannon.

"Anything?" asked Kannon, hopefully.

Shade shook his head.

"Guess we have to wing it." Said Kannon.

"Sorry man." Said Shade.

All the guys gathered up on the stage. "So what song are we doing?" asked Shade.

"I thought we could do Fight for You by Jason Derulo." Said Jaune.

"Good idea Jaune." Said Sun.

"Ready everyone?" asked Shade, just before he saw two people he didn't recognize walk into the cafeteria. There was a man and a woman. From what Shade could see the man was about 5 foot 9 inches tall with short grey hair and bright green eyes. The woman was 6 foot 2 inches tall has long brown hair and bright blue eyes with slit pupils. He looked at all the people sitting down and none of them noticed the two. He looked at all his friends on stage with him before he heard Kannon gasp.

"Mom? Dad? Is that you?" asked Kannon.

"Kannon! How are you son?" asked the man.

Kannon ran off stage yelling, "Go on without me! I need to catch up!"

"Alright then. Everyone else ready?" asked Shade.

Everyone replied with either a yes or a nod.

 **(Cue Fight for You by Jason Derulo.)**

 **[Chorus]** **  
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you  
There's nothing that a hundred men, or more, could ever do  
Just like the rain, down in Africa  
It's gonna take some time but I know you're worth fighting for -  
I'd fight for you**

 **Hey ba bum ba eh ba bum ba eh eh ba bum ba eh  
I'd fight for you  
Hey ba bum ba eh ba bum ba eh eh ba bum ba eh  
I'd fight for you**

 **[Verse 1]** **  
Friends are cool but we both know - they don't wanna see us together  
Don't wanna lose what I live for - I'm willing to do whatever  
'cause I don't wanna see you cry  
Give our love another try  
I bet we get it right this time  
As long as you're prepared to fight**

 **[Bridge]** **  
I don't wanna live another day without your body next to me  
I'm not gonna let them break us down  
'cause baby I know now**

 **[Chorus]** **  
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you  
I'd fight for you  
There's nothing that a hundred men, or more, could ever do  
I'd fight for you  
Just like the rain, down in Africa  
I'd fight for you  
It's gonna take some time but I know you're worth fighting for -**

 **[Verse 2]** **  
Lesgo  
What they say - It don't even matter  
They don't really understand  
Without each other, we are barely breathing  
Let's get air in these hearts a gain  
'cause I don't wanna see you cry - give our love another try  
I bet we get it right this time  
As long as you're prepared to fight  
Prepared to fight**

 **[Bridge]** **  
I don't wanna live another day without your body next to me  
I'm not gonna let them break us down  
'cause baby I know now (know now, know now)**

 **[Chorus]** **  
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you  
I'd fight for you  
There's nothing that a hundred men, or more, could ever do  
I'd fight for you  
Just like the rain, down in Africa  
I'd fight for you  
It's gonna take some time but I know you're worth fighting for -  
I'd fight for you**

 **Hey ba bum ba eh ba bum ba eh eh ba bum ba eh**  
 **I'd fight for you**  
 **Hey ba bum ba eh ba bum ba eh eh ba bum ba eh**

 **If you've got someone that's worth fighting for**  
 **Don't let nobody hold you down let me hear you say**  
 **WOOOOOOAHHHHHH**  
 **If you've found someone that's worth dying for**  
 **The one you can't live without let me hear you say**  
 **WOOOOOOAHHHHHH**

 **[Chorus]** **  
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you  
There's nothing that a hundred men, or more, could ever do  
I'd fight for you  
Just like the rain, down in Africa  
I'd fight for you  
It's gonna take some time but I know you're worth fighting forrrrrrrr  
WOAH**

 **It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you**  
 **I'd fight for you**  
 **There's nothing that a hundred men, or more, could ever do**  
 **I'd fight for you**  
 **Just like the rain, down in Africa**  
 **I'd fight for you**  
 **It's gonna take some time but I know you're worth fighting for**

 **After the song had ended all the guys took a bow on stage as their friends clapped. The got off the stage just as all the girls got on stage and started discussing what song they would do.**

'I wonder what song they decided on.' Thought Shade.

As they selected the song, a beat that Shade recognized played.

 **(Cue Laser light by Jessie J)**

 **In the blink of an eye  
I was falling from the sky  
In the blur, you took my breath away  
And my heart starts beating  
And my lungs start breathing  
And the voice in my head starts screaming  
I'm alive!**

 **You're like a laserlight, burning down**  
 **Burning down, on me**  
 **You're like a laserlight, burning down**  
 **Burning down, on me**

 **You make me feel good,**  
 **You make me feel safe,**  
 **You make me feel like I could live another day**  
 **You make me feel good,**  
 **You make me feel safe,**  
 **You know I wouldn't have it any other way**

 **(D-D-D-David G)**  
 **(Je-Je-Je-Jessie J)**

 **You and me, face to face**  
 **And there's so much I could say**  
 **On these words, and forever seem the silence**  
 **Can you hear, that box bre-brea-breaking**  
 **And the world starts sha-sha-shaking**  
 **They keep talking, talking, talking**  
 **But we're walking, walking, to the light**  
 **Tonight, tonight**

 **You're like a laserlight, burning down**  
 **Burning down, on me**  
 **You're like a laserlight, burning down**  
 **Burning down, on me**

 **You make me feel good,**  
 **You make me feel safe,**  
 **You make me feel like I could live another day**  
 **You make me feel good,**  
 **You make me feel safe,**  
 **You know I wouldn't have it any other way**

 **Stop...please don't stop...I won't stop**  
 **We won't stop...**

 _ **[x3]**_ **  
In the blink of an eye  
I was falling from the sky  
In the blur, you took my breath away**

As the girls finished everyone began clapping just as loudly as when the guys finished.

"You ready Shade?" asked Velvet.

"Always ready." Said Shade smiling.

"Less than three right?" asked Velvet.

You got it." Said Shade.

 **(Cue Less Than Three by S3RL)**

 **One and one, you and me  
Adds up to less than 3  
This time, I'll show you why  
It's meant to be (2X)  
You and me, less than 3  
I was blind, but now I see  
I can't live without you in my life**

 **Until now, I always thought I**  
 **Could live without you by my side, all the way**  
 **And so now, I hold you so close**  
 **I'll never let you go, you're my less than three**

 **The beats, the bass**  
 **Here we go**

 **The beats, the bass**

 **Until now, I always thought I**  
 **Could live without you by my side, all the way**  
 **And so now, I hold you so close**  
 **I'll never let you go, you're my less than three**

 **The bass, the beats**

 **Now that I have you by**  
 **My side all the time**  
 **I won't, won't let you go**  
 **Ever again, all this I know.**  
 **You and me, less than 3**  
 **This is how we're meant to be**  
 **I can't live without you in my life**

 **Until now, I always thought I**  
 **Could live without you by my side, all the way**  
 **And so now, I hold you so close**  
 **I'll never let you go, you're my less than three**

 **The beats, the bass**

 **Until now, I always thought I**  
 **Could live without you by my side, all the way**  
 **And so now, I hold you so close**  
 **I'll never let you go, you're my less than three**

As the newlyweds finished their song, everyone began clapping. Shade and Velvet bowed and got off the stage. Music started to play and people gathered to the center of the room to dance. As a few people gathered Velvet joined them.

"Is it Ok if I go see what's up with Kannon before we dance?" asked Shade. Velvet nodded in reply.

Shade walked over to where Kannon and his parents were.

"Hey Kannon." Said Shade.

"Hey Shade. Come here. Mom. Dad. This is Shade. Shade these are my parents." Said Kannon.

"Nice to meet you." Said Shade, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you as well. My name is Carl and this is my wife Kezia." Said the man shaking hands with Shade. The woman then extended her arm and Shade shook it as well.

"It appears that you still show up just before I embarrass myself." Said Kannon, looking at his dad.

"I do have a knack for that don't I?" asked Carl.

"Yeah you do." Replied Kannon.

"Yeah. Remember when he showed up just before-" Kezia was interrupted by Kannon.

"Please don't bring that up in front of my friend mom." Said Kannon.

"Alright." Said Kezia.

"Buzzkill." whispered Shade, upset. "Anyways I think I should get back to my wife. Talk to you later Kannon." Said Shade, walking back over to Velvet. However, just before he got to her, Weiss came up to Shade.

"Hey Shade!" said Weiss.

"What's up Weiss?" asked Shade.

"Blake thinks we should play Mirror Mirror." Said Weiss.

"Really? I don't know. Do you think we can?" Asked Shade.

"If you can get your flute quickly." Said Weiss.

"Just a sec." said Shade running over to Ruby and handing her his scroll.

"Can you get my flute out of my room? It's under my pillow." Said Shade.

"Sure be back soon." Replied Ruby using her semblance to run out of the room. She was back in ten minutes with Shade's flute.

"Here you go!" said Ruby.

"Thanks Ruby." Said Shade, returning to Weiss.

"You ready?" asked Shade.

"If you are." Said Weiss walking towards the stage.

Velvet noticed Shade and Weiss get up on stage and shortly after everyone else did.

"Hey everyone. Some of you may know this, but I recently learned how to play the flute. I also wrote a song to go along with a melody I wrote. Blake has requested that me and Weiss preform it." Said Shade.

Everyone silenced themselves and sat down.

"Let's go." Said Shade, bringing the flute up to his mouth and starting to play. Weiss began to sing along. After they had finished the song everyone cheered loudly.

"Thank you everyone. Back to the party." Said Shade as the music started again.

He got off the stage and fond Velvet.

"Hey honey." Said Shade when he got to her.

"Hi hubby." Replied Velvet.

"We really did it. We really got married." Said Shade.

"I know what you mean." Said Velvet.

Just as Velvet finished speaking, a slow song came on.

Shade smiled and held his hand out to Velvet. "Would you care to join me in our first dance as husband and wife?" asked Shade.

"I would love to." Said Velvet, putting her hand in Shade's and walking with him to the dance floor.

As they got to the dance floor, everyone else cleared a space for them. They began dancing and continued for three songs. After they finished they broke apart and everyone else went back to dancing.

Shade looked over to where Melanie and Miltia were sitting, but they weren't there. Junior was still there. Shade looked around and saw them up at the front looking through the song list. When they found one, they selected it so it would play next. When they began walking back, Shade met up with them.

"Hey girls." Said Shade.

"What, no scare this time?" Asked the two girls.

"I'm in a suit. I have no freedom of movement." Said Shade.

"Makes sense." Said Miltia.

"By the way Shade, you should get ready for your favourite four words." Said Melanie.

Shade was confused until he thought back to the bar. "Shut up and Dance…" whispered Shade.

"Bingo." Said the two girls.

"Alright." Said Shade walking back to the circle of dancers. He waited for the song that was on to finish. After it finished, he heard the familiar tune come on. A large group of people entered the circle, including Shade and began shutting up and dancing. Everyone in a relationship looked to their significant other and entered the circle, including Velvet.

"Hey V-" Shade got cut off by Velvet.

"Shut up and dance with me!" said Velvet, along with the song. Shade smirked and grabbed her hand and they danced together until the song ended.

"That was fun." Said Velvet.

"Probably my favourite song of all time." Said Shade, leaving the circle.

"Really? I would have thought it was Angel with a Shotgun." Said Velvet.

"That song was what inspired me to start a band in the first place." Said Shade.

"Really? Interesting." said Velvet. Velvet and Shade began walking around and talking to everyone at the ceremony, who congratulated them. They partied well into the night. It was 10:00 pm when everyone finally left.

"Alright. I guess it's time to go back and get to sleep before we leave tomorrow." Said Yang.

"Yeah I guess so." Said Shade.

"Alright let's go then." Said everyone else.

Shade was at the back of the group. Just as he walked out, he heard a soft voice say "Congratulations Shade."

Shade turned around and saw no one. He thought back to the voice and after a few seconds of thought he knew who it was.

"Brittany. Thanks Britt." Said Shade, looking up.

After he caught back up to the group, everyone went back to their rooms. After about half an hour, there was a knock on Shade's door. Shade got up and opened it. He saw Velvet standing there in her pajamas. It was at this point that Kami, Risa, and Neo all woke up. When they saw Velvet entering their room, they spoke up.

"Where should we go?" asked Neo.

"Team JNPR's room." Said Velvet.

"Got it." Said Neo, leading Kami and Risa out of the room.

Velvet and Shade both ended up on Shade's bed. They began kissing until Velvet took off her shirt.

"Velvet. I just need to know. Are you sure?" asked Shade.

Velvet just smiled before kissing Shade again. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Said Velvet after she broke away.

Shade smiled back at her and took off his shirt.

"I love you Shade." said Velvet.

"I love you too Velvet." Said Shade as the ended their marriage day, with a passionate night.

 **Alright, there is Chapter 28. Now I'm sure many of you were expecting the lemon scene with Velvet there to which I can only say, I'm sorry. When I tried to upload the story with the lemon scene, it crashed my computer. I don't know if that was what caused it, but I'm not taking that chance. I am not typing out this whole chapter again. Again, I'm sorry, but I'm just being safe. Anyways, this chapter is over, and I will see you all in the next chapter! Goodbye!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello everybody! I am the Burning Ruler and welcome back to another chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Just so you know, I'm writing this at 1 am. Now, Shade and Velvet won't be joining me as they are currently… preoccupied with what happened at the end of the last chapter. But I have some reviews to respond to. Let's go!**

 **Valkerix: I just have one question. What game were you playing? To me it sounds like Geometry Wars, but I'm not sure. Also about Shade, if you met him, you would find he is quite… persuasive.**

 **Writen: Not going to lie, my first draft had the Blood Brothers attacking just before they kissed, but I scrapped it because it didn't turn out too well. Actually, it sucked, but I agree. It would've been a good time for them to attack.**

 **DragoonSensei: Thank you. I hoped it would be.**

 **Lunaris Eclipse: You have no idea how much that means to me. Literally, that made my day. Also, the wait is over!**

 **Now before I start, I have a couple things to say. I have started a new RWBY story, so, shameless promotion, and I am not feeling inspired enough to write anything for SAO: A Beast's Tamer, so don't expect anything for that story for a while. Sorry to the fans of that story, but I just can't waste time staring at a blank screen. Hope you understand. Now that that's taken care of, I only own Shade, Lilian, and Sarah and let's start the chapter already.**

Chapter 29: The Journey Begins

"Where are they?" asked Weiss, waiting for Shade's, Velvet's, and Jaune's team to show up at the cafeteria.

"I'm sure they will be here soon Weiss." Said Yang, also somewhat irritated.

"Maybe we should go get them." Said Ruby.

"Sure. I'll go get Shade's team, Kannon, you go get Velvet's, and Ruby, you go get Jaune's." said Blake.

"Alright. Be back soon." Said Ruby, running off.

"Whatever." Said Kannon, leaving.

"See you again soon." Said Blake, leaving as well.

 **With Kannon.**

Kannon found himself at Team CFVY's dorm room. Knocking twice, Coco showed up at the door.

"Kannon!" yelled Coco, jumping into his arms.

Kannon caught his girlfriend and kissed her.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you again, but we need to meet up at the cafeteria before we start on the journey, so we should probably get moving." Said Kannon, putting Coco down.

"Oh yeah, we're leaving today." Said Coco. "FOX! YATSU! WE'RE LEAVING!" said Coco, yelling into the room. Not long after, Fox and Yatsu showed up not long after.

"Let's get going then. Don't want to keep anyone waiting." Said Yatsu, following Kannon and Coco to the cafeteria.

"Where's Velvet?" asked Kannon.

"She left somewhere last night and hasn't come back since." Said Coco.

"Are you not worried?" asked Kannon.

"Well, we know where she went, but we shouldn't tell you. It should be kept a secret. You understand." Said Coco.

"Alright." Said Kannon, wondering where Velvet could've gone.

 **With Ruby.**

"GUYS! GET UP!" yelled Ruby from outside their door while knocking furiously.

Not long after, Jaune opened the door.

"Why?" asked Jaune.

"Um, because we need to leave soon. For the trip with Shade and everyone? Remember?" asked Ruby, reminding him.

"…Now I do!" yelled Jaune, closing the door and getting ready quickly. Four minutes later he opened the door, revealing that Neo, Kami and Risa were also there.

"Why are you here?" asked Ruby, confused.

"Um, it's probably best we don't tell you." Said Neo.

Kami and Risa agreed.

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Just, trust us." Said Neo.

"Ok, I guess." Said Ruby.

"Anyways, we should probably get Shade too." Said Risa.

"Yeah." Said Kami.

"He should be finished by now. I just hope he's up and ready." Said Neo.

"Yeah. Don't particularly want Ruby to see that do we?" asked Risa.

"See what?" asked Ruby.

"Nothing. Nevermind." Said Kami.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Ruby, leading the way.

 **With Blake**

"Shade are you in there?!" yelled Blake.

"Huh? Yeah. Just a sec. Be out in a sec." said Shade.

"Where's my bra?" asked a female voice from inside.

"Shh… Blake's outside. Keep it down." Said Shade.

"Do I really need to? I mean, we're married after all. This kind of stuff happens right?" asked the voice which was clearly Velvet.

"Yeah, I guess that is a good point. But what if the rest of her team is there? What if Ruby is there?" asked Shade.

"Oh, right. Good call. But, seriously, I can't find my bra." said Velvet.

"Relax you two. Ruby isn't here." Said Blake.

"Oh. You heard us?" asked Shade.

"You really need to work on your whispering Velvet." Said Blake.

"Yeah… heh heh…" said Velvet.

"Here it is Velvet." Said Shade.

"Thanks." Said Velvet.

"You find it?" asked Blake.

"Yeah. We'll be out soon, just need to finish getting dressed." Said Shade.

"Why are you naked?" asked a voce from behind Blake.

"Is that Ruby?" asked Shade.

"Yeah it is. Why are you naked?" asked Ruby again.

"I just got out of the shower." Said Shade, patting himself on the back for thinking so quickly.

"Oh ok." Said Ruby.

Not long after Shade and Velvet exited the room.

"Why were you there too Velvet?" asked Ruby.

"What? I can't visit my husband in the morning?" asked Velvet.

"Good point." Said Ruby.

At this point they all began walking back to the cafeteria. When they arrived, they saw everyone else had already arrived.

"Where were you?" asked Kannon, looking directly at Shade.

"I was with Velvet and that is the end of this conversation." Said Shade, pointing towards Ruby.

"Ok. I get it." Said Kannon, winking at Shade.

"Alright, so we should get something to eat really quickly and then go to see Ozpin." Said Shade, going to get food.

"He makes a good point." Said Kannon, also going to get food.

After they all got their food, they sat at their table.

"So, we go see Ozpin, find out what we can, and then we go?" asked Weiss.

"It's our only lead. It's our best chance." Said Shade continuing to eat.

"Alright. How are we going to follow the leads?" Asked Cardin.

"I'm thinking we should avoid conflict as much as possible. No use getting ourselves killed right out of the gate right?" asked Shade.

"Smart. But we may need to attack a couple times. Get some intel." Said Kannon.

"Of course, but if there is one thing I know, it is only shoot at what you can kill. Only attack if we can win." Said Shade.

"Also smart." Said Blake.

They group finished their food and got up.

"Alright. Let's go see Ozpin." Said Shade.

"Lead the way." Said Velvet, holding Shade's hand.

Shade began walking towards the elevator that would bring them to Ozpin's office. After a few minutes, they arrived at the elevator and rode it up to Ozpin's office. They walked in.

"Hello all. What do you need?" Asked Ozpin.

"Information. We are planning to go after the Blood Brothers and put a stop to them once and for all. We want to know everything you know and where they might be hiding." Said Shade.

"I see." Said Ozpin. "I will tell you all I know." Said Ozpin.

"Alright. Whenever you're ready." Said Shade.

"Very well. One thing I do know, the main base of the Blood Brothers is in Vacuo. But it is hidden. A place you can only find if you know it is there. You will want to infiltrate many other bases in order to find it. I do have a general idea where they are. There are two here in Vale, one of which is hidden in the Forest of Forever Fall, one in Atlas, and one in Mistral. That is all I can tell you. However, Shade, Sarah, and you as well Kannon. You may be able to narrow it down. You see, while Reese Mars was a brilliant man, he may have made a slight mistake. If you focus hard enough, you may be able to find a more focused location of a couple of the bases." Said Ozpin.

"How would we know?" asked Sarah.

"While you all ended up in the same base in Vacuo, you all started in different ones. If you can try to remember, you can find the bases." Said Ozpin.

"It couldn't hurt to try I guess." Said Kannon.

At this point, Kannon, Sarah and Shade all closed their eyes and started thinking. It took a long time, but Kannon opened his eyes.

"The other one in Vale is hidden in town. An old abandoned building." Said Kannon.

"In Mistral, its hidden underground. Under a bank it looks like." Said Sarah.

Shade was still trying to find one. Many minutes later, he opened his eyes, shocked.

"The mental institution. We can find the base in Atlas from the mental institution." Said Shade.

"It seems you have an idea of where to go. You may need this." Said Ozpin, handing a folded up map to Shade. Shade unfolded it and saw that it was a map of all of Remnant.

"This will help." Said Shade, folding it back up and putting it in his backpack.

"Thanks Ozpin." Said Shade.

"Be safe." said Ozpin.

"Always." Said Shade, leading everyone else out.

Shade and everyone else immediately got onto the airships and took one into town. When they landed they began looking for a building that could be a hidden base. After looking all over town they still hadn't made any progress.

"We have looked everywhere for this abandoned building but haven't found any yet." Said Coco.

"Maybe we shouldn't be looking for an abandoned building, but rather a building that is abandoned." Said Shade.

"I pretty sure none of us understood what you just said Shade." said Jaune.

"We've assumed that the building we are looking for will have been abandoned for a long while and will look abandoned. Think about it. If you were in their shoes, would you have set up in a building that could collapse at any moment? Probably not. You would fix it up first. Maybe we should look for buildings that don't look abandoned." Said Shade.

"He does make a good point. We should put ourselves in their shoes if we are ever hoping to find them." Said Pyrrha.

"Alright, so a nice looking building with no one in it." Said Kannon.

After half an hour of searching, they found one.

"Looks like the place." Said Russel.

"Let's go then." Said Neo.

"Hold on. I don't like this. It seems like it was too easy to find." Said Shade.

"You noticed that too huh?" asked Sarah.

"We should be cautious." Said Kannon.

"Alright. Stay in the shadows once we get inside. Only engage if you have no other choice." Said Shade, opening the door slightly to take a peek inside. He saw no one. "Ok. Clear." Said Shade, going inside. Everyone followed Shade. Shade stuck to the walls and everyone followed him. Shade peeked around a corner, before snapping his head back.

"What is it Shade?" asked Kannon.

"We got a guard patrol. Stay quiet. Let's hope they pass us." Said Shade. A few minutes later the guards got into view of the group. Thankfully, the guards turned away from the group, opening the hallway up.

"Come on. This way. Stay quiet." Whispered Shade, waving for his friends to follow him.

Shade and his friends weaved around corners, ducked into small rooms and stayed in the shadows before they found a door that looked more reinforced than any others.

"Looks like a vault. Maybe something useful in there." Said Kannon.

The group began trying to open the door, but couldn't figure it out.

"How are we supposed to open this?" asked Ruby.

"Looks like a puzzle." said Shade, looking at the door, and seeing what looked like a word problem on it.

"If entrance is what you seek, then solve these three. Number one. How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't bounce off anything? There is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it back to you." Read the first message.

"If you threw it straight up in the air, it would fall back down to you." Said Kannon with minimal thought.

The door opened, leading to another door. "Number two. A man who lives on the tenth floor takes the elevator down to the first floor every morning and goes to work. In the evening, when he comes back on a rainy day, or if there are other people in the elevator, he goes to his floor directly. Otherwise, he goes to the seventh floor and walks up three flights of stairs to his apartment. Can you explain why?"

The group thought for a while, before Velvet chimed up. "Wait, if others are in the elevator or if it was raining when he left he goes directly to his floor, but if not, he only goes to the seventh. He is too short to reach the button for the tenth floor. If there are others, he can ask them to press the button for him, or use his umbrella if it was raining." Said Velvet, causing the door to open.

"Nice thinking Velvet." Said Shade.

The last door was in front of them. "Number three. A man walking down the street meets a good friend he hasn't seen in years. They meet up and begin talking. They talk about what they had been up to since they last saw each other. His friend had gotten married and had a daughter, who was there as well. The man leaned down and asked the daughter her name. The girl said it was the same as her mommy's. The man then replied "'So your name is Rachel is it?' He was correct. How did he know?"

Almost the entire group was stumped, until Shade chimed up. "The man's friend was Rachel. It never specified whether the friend was a male or female. For him to know the child's mother's name, the friend would have to have been the mother." Said Shade, proud of himself.

The door opened. "Good one Shade." said Blake.

Shade just shrugged. "It's what I do." Said Shade, walking through the door, revealing large room with thousands of filing cabinets full of files.

"How are we supposed to go through all of these?" asked Ruby.

"It's simple. We don't. We don't need all of them. We only need mine, Kannon's, and Sarah's. Let's also mark this place on the map." Said Shade, marking it down on the map.

"Alright. Let's start searching." Said Sun, looking through the files.

Everyone followed quickly, but no one could find their files. Shade looked through the last cabinet, and didn't find any folders, but rather a single tape.

"Hey guys? Anyone got something to play a tape?" asked Shade.

"Yeah I got something." Said Neo, taking out a tape recorder. Shade put the tape in the recorder.

"Hello Shade. Nice to know you are coming after me. I knew you would. You were always as stubborn as a bull. Even as a child. Well, I assume you are wondering about yourself, and your friends who I am sure are with you. You will find answers when you find me. By the way, how is your marriage working out so far? The ceremony really was beautiful wasn't it? I am very happy for you and Velvet." Said Reese Mars on the tape.

"How did he know?" asked Shade, shocked.

"Surprised Shade? I was there. I was watching you the whole time. I know every move you make and are ever going to make. You can't hide anything from me Shade. However, I do believe you deserve something special. So here you are. Enjoy!" said Reese as the alarm on the base went off, even though there were no guards around to see them.

"He must have rigged the alarm to go off once the tape ended. We need to get out. But get ready for a fight." Said Shade, drawing his swords and taking off in the direction of the exit. As he ran he slashed at every guard that got in his way, leaving them injured or dead on the ground.

"Almost there!" yelled Shade, with the exit in sight, his friend trailing behind. However, just as he got close, at least 100 guards showed up.

"Looks like we have to fight." Said Lilian, reaching into her trench coat and pulling out a battle axe with a pink handle and a red blade.

Shade cracked his knuckles and readied his swords. Everyone else also got into a ready stance before charging the Blood Brothers.

"LET'S GO!" yelled Shade charging into the middle of the fray. The rest of the group began attacking along with Shade as he was swinging his swords at the Blood Brothers, but they we all running out of stamina quickly.

"What is it with these guys? Why are they so much more resilient that the others?" asked Weiss, breathing heavily.

"Kannon! Sarah!" yelled Shade.

"You got it Shade!" yelled Kannon, as he Shade and Sarah went into their grim form.

Kannon and Sarah charged into the fray to assist Shade. They attacked everyone they could reach, but for some reason, not matter how many times they got hit, they didn't seem to be doing anything.

Suddenly, a voice came over the speakers. "The base will self-destruct in 30 seconds."

"What the fuck?" yelled Yang.

"To hell with the fight, get out now!" said Shade, running out, followed quickly by his friends.

Just as they got out, the base exploded in a ball of fire.

"Well. That was fun." Said Shade, almost laughing as he, Kannon and Sarah turned back into their normal form.

Everyone just looked at Shade. "If that's your definition of fun, what is your definition of hell?" asked Yang.

"Life without Velvet." Said Shade, purposefully being as corny as possible.

"You are too good at thinking of corny lines." Said Coco.

"But they are true." Said Shade, earning a kiss from his wife.

"I love you Shade." said Velvet.

"I love you too Velvet." Said Shade.

"Ok, enough with the emotions. Let's just get to that next base." Said Cardin.

"Why are you so anxious?" asked Kami.

"I think he just wants to get this journey over with as quick as possible. Isn't that right Cardin?" asked Risa.

"Yeah. So, The Forest of Forever Fall right?" asked Cardin.

"Yeah. It's going to be a long journey, but we will get there. Alright guys. Whenever you're ready." Said Shade.

"Why waste time?" asked Kannon.

"He makes a good point. Why stand around? Let's go." Said Weiss.

They began walking down the street. Shade slowed down to talk with Kannon.

"Am I the only one who thinks Cardin was acting a bit strange before?" asked Shade.

"You noticed that too?" asked Kannon.

"Yeah. He almost seemed too anxious to start our assault on the next base." Said Shade.

"Hey Shade? Remember back at that secret place you had? How the Blood Bothers tried to attack us then?" Asked Kannon.

"Yeah. They seemed like they knew we were there." Said Shade, before starting to think. But then he got a shocked look on his face. "You don't think…" Shade stopped mid-sentence.

"I don't think anything yet. I'm just saying its possible." Said Kannon.

"We should keep an eye on them." said Shade.

"Agreed." Said Kannon.

Meanwhile, Velvet was talking to Coco.

"So, how was last night Velvet?" asked Coco.

Velvet thought for a while on how to describe it. "Indescribable." Was the only word she could use.

"Really." Said Coco.

"Yeah. By the way, thanks for letting me use one of your birth control pills. Can't be too safe." Said Velvet.

"No problem. What are friends for." Said Coco.

"Yeah. Actually, there is something I want to talk about." Said Velvet.

"OF course. Anything." Said Coco.

"Remember when The Blood Brothers showed up at that secret place that only Shade and Blake knew about?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah, what about it?' asked Coco.

"Any idea who it was?" asked Velvet.

"None here. How about you?" asked Coco.

"Only one. But you aren't going to like it." Said Velvet.

"Who?" asked Coco.

"Honestly, I think it's Kannon. I know it shouldn't be him, but I just can't shake this feeling." Said Velvet.

"Well, you are right about one thing. I don't like that. I have no clue who it could be though." Said Coco.

"Agreed." Said Velvet.

Suddenly, Shade got a call on his scroll.

"Hello?" asked Shade as he answered it.

There was clearly some talk on the other line, and Shade said "Yeah. We're heading there now. Think you could send one to pick us up and take us there?"

Shortly after, Shade said "Thanks. That should really speed this up Ozpin."

"What was that about?" Asked Jaune.

"Ozpin is sending us a private airship to speed up our journey." Said Shade, looking off into the distance, waiting for it to show up.

It only took five minutes for it to show up. Shade and his friends boarded it.

"The Forest of Forever Fall right?" asked the pilot.

"As fast as you can please." Said Shade, letting the pilot take off.

It only took them ten minutes before they arrived at the edge of the forest. "Just come back here when you need to head to the next place." Said the pilot.

"Of course. Let's go guys." Said Shade, leading the group.

They walked around for hours looking for the base until they found what looked like a hollowed out tree trunk.

"Looks pretty suspicious doesn't it?" asked Sarah.

"I'd say so." Said Neo.

They all walked into the tree trunk to find a steel door.

"Secret base. Called it." Said Sarah.

"Now how do we get in here?" asked Velvet.

"I could try to pick the lock." Said Kami.

"No time." Said Shade, taking out a sword and smashing the lock.

"Well, no use being stealthy anymore." Said Kannon.

"Nope." Said Shade, taking out his other sword, as everyone else readied their weapons.

"Find the vault." Said Shade.

They all took off to look for the vault, but were stopped by a patrol.

"Should've expected a fight." Said Shade.

"Ready guys?" asked Yang.

"Let's do this!" yelled Nora.

Shade charged in and swung his sword, cutting through three in one slice, but more just showed up.

"We need to finish them quickly. Give me a hand here!" yelled Shade, as his friends began attacking as well.

"Shade! You go on. We'll keep these guys busy!" yelled Weiss.

"Thanks Weiss. Be back soon." Said Shade, running ahead. He turned many corners before finding a door. He simply kicked it down and ran in. Rummaging through the cabinets he found another tape.

"Gotcha." Said Shade, running back.

"Guys, let's go!" yelled Shade, cutting through the last of the Blood Brothers, which was only three in total.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Said Kannon.

"Agreed." said Mercury.

They got out of the base as fast as possible.

"That was exhilarating." Said Shade, panting.

"Alright, so you got another tape." Said Neo, grabbing it and putting it in the cassette player and pressing play.

"Hello again Shade. You seem to be getting here faster than expected. I must commend you on your progress thus far. Well done. But you may want to look behind you. There is a slight surprise for you there. Goodbye." Said Reese Mars in the tape.

Shade and all his friends turned around to see a large group of Blood Brothers led by Roman Torchwick approaching.

"Thanks for the heads up Mars." Said Shade, readying his swords.

Everyone else got ready, but before they were able to attack, Cardin and his team approached Torchwick.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Yang, confused.

They all had their weapons drawn and they looked like they were about to attack, but then Cardin extended a hand to Torchwick and shook hands with him. They turned around and faced everyone else with challenging looks on their faces.

Everyone knew what was going on but Risa began approaching them with tears in her eyes.

"Risa no!" yelled Kami, but she wasn't listening.

She got in front of Cardin and began speaking.

"Why Cardin? Why are you doing this? I thought you were on our side! We could have had something special! Why are you just willing to throw that away!?' yelled Risa, almost crying.

Cardin seemed to be considering it. "You're right Risa. We could've had something special." Said Cardin smiling. Risa smiled back, but then Cardin's smile dropped from his face. "But we won't." said Cardin reeling back his mace and swinging it at Risa, who was knocked backwards to the group, out cold.

"Risa!" yelled Kami.

Weiss went over and felt that she still had a pulse. She was just knocked out. Kami calmed down after hearing this.

"We'll worry about this later. Right now, we need to focus on them." Said Shade, pointing to the others.

"Alright. Let's go!" yelled Cardin, charging the group.

 **Somewhat graphic part. Continue at your own risk.**

"Too easy." said Shade, moving to the side and slashing Cardin across his stomach, as Yang punched him backwards.

This sent everyone in on the attack. The Blood Brothers attacked and everyone else jumped into the middle of the fray.

Shade set his swords on fire dust and lit them. He swung his swords at the horde of Blood Brothers in and X-formation, sending a wave of fire at them, which a few managed to jump over or duck under. Shade switched to an ice dust, and activated his semblance. The Blood Bothers attacked Shade's copy, but Shade emerged behind them and cut through half of the remaining ones.

"Ah!" he heard a shout from the side, to see Sky, standing over Coco.

"COCO!" he heard Kannon yell from behind him, before going into his grim form, and charging at Sky, biting through his neck, killing him instantly.

"HOLY SHIT!" yelled the three remaining members of Team CRDL.

However, this didn't slow down anyone's attack.

Russel the charged at Lilian from behind, causing a severe wound on her back. Kami saw this and shot a beam out of his weapon, launching him back into Yang, who punched him back towards Kami, who drove one end of his weapon into Russel's heart. He pulled his weapon out of Russel, and Russel slumped to the ground, dead.

"Two down. Two to go." Said Shade.

Just as Shade said this, he saw dove fly over him, and get dropped onto a rock, crushing his skull and killing him. He saw that Sarah had dropped him. He turned back around to see Neo, out cold on the ground. This sent Shade into a light fury, cutting down as many Blood Brothers as he could. He turned around to see everyone else was doing great, but he couldn't see Cardin anywhere. He also couldn't see Velvet. Looking back towards where the Blood Brothers came from, he saw Cardin bringing his weapon down and hitting Velvet, backwards to Shade. She landed right in front of him, beaten down and clearly in pain.

Shade's eyes widened and all the sounds of fighting in the back ground stopped. None of the Blood Brothers were attacking. They just surrendered to avoid what was about to happen. Everyone heard a deep growling noise coming from Shade. Cardin recognized this from the cafeteria. Shade turned to him and his eyes were black once again.

"You just don't learn, do you?" asked Shade in a demonic voice. Cardin attacked Shade, but his mace just bounced off Shade's torso. He tried over and over again, but to no avail.

"My turn." Growled Shade, punching Cardin into a tree. He was on him again in two seconds, pounding Cardin's face into the tree repeatedly, before throwing him high into the air and allowing him to fall onto his knee. Cardin rolled off his knee a beaten and bloody mess. Shade just stared into Cardin's nearly lifeless eyes. "You're finished." Said Shade, about to walk away.

"Don't have the stones to finish me off huh?" asked Cardin in a hoarse voice.

Hearing this, Shade turned around.

"You don't need to do this Shade! He will bleed to death." Yelled Neo, who had woken up ad was hoping to stop Shade's bloodlust.

Shade turned back to her with a sickening smirk on his face. "The maybe I can help him bleed faster." Said Shade, extending his claws and plunging his hand into Cardin's chest and ripping out his heart before crushing it. He regained some sense of control to see Cardin dead and Roman crawling away.

Shade was on him in three seconds. "Tell me what you know right now, and you may live." Said Shade.

"No chance." Replied Roman.

"Well, then. You are of no use to me, are you?' asked Shade before driving his sword into Roman's neck and watching him bleed out.

 **Graphic part over.**

Shade remembered what had happened that caused him to lose it, and he returned to Velvet.

"We need to get back to beacon. NOW!" yelled Shade, picking up Velvet and running back to the airship. Everyone else wasn't far behind. They got on and told the pilot to get them back to beacon as fast as possible. Blake called Ozpin and told them to have a stretcher ready for when they got there.

It didn't take long before they landed. There was a stretcher waiting for them. As they got off the airship, Shade turned to the doctors and said "I don't care what it takes. You better make DAMN sure she is Ok."

"Of course." Said one of the doctors, bringing Velvet to the infirmary.

Everyone else went to the waiting room. They waited for a few hours before a doctor came out.

"Shade. I am pleased to say that Velvet will make a full recovery." Said the doctor.

Shade just slumped into his chair. It seemed he had just recovered from a heart attack. Hell, maybe he had.

"Thank you doctor." Said Shade.

"However, she appears to still be unconscious. We expect she will be for the foreseeable future." Said the doctor.

"But she is healthy?" asked Shade.

"Yes. Perfectly healthy." Said the doctor.

"That is enough for me." Said Shade.

Everyone left the infirmary other than Shade, who stayed in Velvet's room.

 **One week later**

Velvet still hadn't woken up, but she was recovering.

Everyone else showed up.

"She doing Ok?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah. She's doing fine." Said Shade.

"You doing Ok?" asked Kannon.

"Yeah. I'm doing OK." Said Shade.

"We're heading to the cafeteria. You wanna come?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah sure. But is it Ok if I just talk to Kannon and Sarah for a little?" asked Shade.

"Alright. We'll see you there." Said Yang as they all left.

"What's up Shade?" asked Kannon.

"There really isn't an easy way to say this. I have to leave beacon and go after the Blood Brothers" said Shade.

Kannon and Sarah couldn't believe their ears.

"What?" asked Kannon.

"I'm leaving. I'm planning on leaving tonight after everyone else is asleep. I don't expect you to come along, but I am going. I need to leave everyone else here to keep them safe. Especially Velvet. I don't want to have to do this. But I do. Are you coming Kannon?" asked Shade.

"I really wish I could, but I can't leave Coco. Sorry Shade." said Kannon.

"Didn't expect you to." Said Shade, getting up.

"I'll come with you." Said Sarah.

Shade turned around. "No you won't. You're going to stay here and make my sister happy." Said Shade, almost threateningly.

"But-" Sarah was instantly cut off.

"No buts." Said Shade, leaving for the cafeteria.

Kannon and Sarah followed quickly. When they got there everyone began talking about how they were going to find the Blood Brother's main base. They all kept talking. Laughing and telling jokes. Just being good friends again. They continued talking and went into town to look around. They found themselves at the café.

"Been a while since we were here hasn't it?" asked Yang.

"Sure seems like it." Said Shade.

They all went in and got a drink. They kept on talking a joking with each other until the sun began to set.

"We should get back to beacon." Said Weiss.

"Yeah. Let's go." Said Shade, preparing to leave.

They all got back to beacon and went back to their rooms. Everyone fell asleep quickly. Shade simply faked sleep before sneaking out of his room. He got to the airships and saw Kannon and Sarah standing there.

"Hey guys." Said Shade.

"Hey. So you're really doing it huh?" asked Sarah.

"I have to." Said Shade.

"Of course." Said Kannon.

"Before I go, can you guys do me a favour?" asked Shade.

"Anything Shade." said Kannon.

Shade unsheathed one of his swords and handed it to Kannon. "Give that to Velvet when she wakes up. Tell her that RWBY can figure out the meaning for her." Said Shade.

"Sure thing Shade." said Kannon.

Shade was about to board an airship when Kannon called out to him. "Hey Shade!"

"Yeah asked Shade.

"You better come back." Said Kannon.

"Don't worry. I will. I always do." Said Shade, boarding the airship and leaving.

 **The next day.**

All Shade's friends were scrambling around looking for him. They had checked everywhere. Called everyone, but no one knew where he was.

"Where could he be? He's just disappeared without a trace." Said Blake.

"I know." Said Neo. They continued looking until they saw Kannon.

"Kannon! Have you seen Shade?" asked Coco.

Kannon just nodded.

"Where is he?" asked Ruby.

Kannon paused before responding. "He's gone. He left. He left to keep you all safe. He said he needed to do this journey on his own." Said Kannon.

Everyone was in shock until Kannon and Sarah explained it to them.

"He is too selfless sometimes." Said Weiss.

They all had a revelation at the same time.

"Oh my god! HOW are we going to explain this to Velvet?" asked Ruby.

"That is a good question Ruby. A very good question." Said Kannon.

 **Two weeks later**

Everyone went to the infirmary once they heard the news. Velvet was awake, and wondering where Shade was.

The doctors were running tests on her as the group tried to explain it to Velvet.

"So? Where is he?" asked Velvet.

"Um, you see, the thing is…" Kannon couldn't answer.

"What is it Kannon?" asked Velvet.

"Well you see… Shade kind of… left. He said he needed to leave us so we would be safe. He couldn't risk exposing you to any more danger. He did leave you this though." Said Kannon, giving Velvet the sword.

"Why did he give me this?" asked Velvet, confused.

"He said RWBY could tell you." Said Kannon, giving Ruby the sword.

The whole team looked the sword up and down. They didn't see anything until they noticed something carved on the hilt. The letters "GE".

"I know what it means." Said Weiss.

"What?" asked Velvet.

"It means he's coming back." Said Blake.

"How do you know?" Asked Velvet.

"This GE on the hilt. Ii stands for "Gleaming Evil." This sword belonged to Neo's dad before he died. This is Shade's most cherished possession. He wouldn't leave this anywhere he wouldn't' go back to to get it." Said Yang.

Velvet was about to stand up, but the doctors asked her to stay.

"I need to go after him." Said Velvet. The doctor's eyes widened.

"I'm afraid I must advise against that Velvet." Said one of the doctors.

"Why?" asked Velvet.

"It would be better to let you listen." Said the doctor, giving Velvet a stethoscope. She put it on and they pressed it to her stomach.

Velvet's expression changed quickly.

She looked at the doctors for confirmation. They nodded.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"How many?" asked Velvet, ignoring Ruby's question.

"Two." Said a doctor.

"Two what?" asked Ruby.

"Velvet? Are you…" Yang couldn't finish.

Velvet nodded, tearing up.

All the girls squealed, and all the boys became shocked quickly, but Ruby was still lost.

"Two hat?" asked Ruby loudly

"Ruby. Velvet's pregnant. With twins." Replied Yang.

 **There we go. Chapter 29 done! Wow. Sorry to say guys. This story is almost over. Next chapter will probably be the finale. I wish this story could continue on, but I am afraid it must end. Well, no point in being sad. Instead, be excited that Velvet is pregnant. Major bombshells dropped. But anyways, remember to leave a review of what you thought, and I hope that I will see you all in the finale of RWBY: A Demon's Life.**


	30. Chapter 30

… **It's time! Hello everybody! I am The Burning Ruler and I am back with the final chapter of RWBY: A Demon's Life. Sorry this chapter took so long, but I wanted to make sure it was one of my best. That and work has been hell, my girlfriend invited me to her place for a week and I enjoyed shooting lethal tears at anthropomorphic fecal matter (The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth is a weird game). Such a bittersweet feeling right now. Too many emotions to describe right now. Let's just get to the reviews.**

 **Valkerix: Oh, Rainbow Six Siege. That's a fun game. But yeah, I honestly felt bad for Risa when I was writing that part, but it felt almost too good to kill CRDL. Should I be worried about this? Whatever. I also felt all the same emotions as you while I was writing that chapter, other than relief.**

 **Alright. So that's out of the way. I only own the usual guys, as well as any other people you don't know from the regular story aside from Kannon who belongs to kannonballdude as well as Kami and Risa who belong to Valkerix. There will also be a little bit after the story, so make sure you read that. Let's finish this story.**

Chapter 30: Love

"Velvet's pregnant? Like with babies?" asked Ruby.

"Question. What else could she be pregnant with?" asked Jaune.

"Oh, right." Said Ruby, realizing her mistake. "But when did it happen?" asked Ruby.

"It must have been on our wedding night. That is the only time." Said Velvet.

Ruby then realized something. "Is that why you were together that morning?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah. It was." Said Velvet.

Here was where the doctor interjected. "It would be advantageous if we could perform an ultrasound now. So we must ask you all to leave." Said the doctor, ushering everyone other than Velvet out of the room.

After the ultrasound, everyone was told that they could come back in.

"What are they?" asked Yang the second she got inside.

"We don't know yet. They are about the size of a peanut right now." Said Velvet.

"Really? Weird." Said Ruby.

"Not really. It's only been three weeks. I give birth after nine months of pregnancy. That's when they are full grown babies." Said Velvet.

"Alright. I guess that makes sense. But what are you going to do about school?" asked Weiss.

"I have an idea." Said a voice that had just entered the room.

"What might your idea be headmaster?" asked Velvet.

"In my opinion, the only class you can't participate in is combat class, and you have been more than exemplary in that, so I feel no need for you to continue training. So everything should be fine." Said Ozpin.

"That would work for now, but what about after I give birth?" asked Velvet.

"I'm sure you could stay in your dorm to take care of your children and just have your teammates help you out in your classes, and even if all else fails, I'm sure your friends would be more than happy to help you out until graduation. Right?" asked Ozpin.

"Of course we would. You don't have anything to worry about Velvet. If you ever need any help, you can always come to us." Said Ruby with a smile. Everyone agreed.

"Thanks guys. You are the best friends ever." Said Velvet.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, Shade is jackass. He married you, got you pregnant, and then left you alone." Said Kannon.

Velvet simply got up and slapped Kannon. "Never even think that again. Had he known I was pregnant he would've stayed. I know he would've." Said Velvet, sure of it.

"She's right. He only left to keep her safe." Said Coco.

"Yeah. I spoke before thinking. I'm sorry Velvet." Said Kannon.

"It's OK Kannon. I know you didn't mean it." Said Velvet.

"Anyways, let's focus on the positives. Velvet is going to be a mommy!" yelled Ruby.

"Congratulations Velvet! And wherever you are Shade, congratulations, because know it or not, you are going to be a daddy." Said Yang.

"True." Said Ren.

"Wow. In just under nine months I am going to have two babies. Unbelievable." Said Velvet.

"I know. Seriously. Congratulations though." Said Coco.

"Thank you Coco." Said Velvet, smiling with tears still in her eyes.

"You must be really happy." Said Jaune.

"I am. It's every girl's dream to be a mother. Maybe not at my age, but eventually." Said Velvet.

"That is true." Said Pyrrha.

"We need to start planning a baby shower!" yelled Nora.

"No sense in waiting huh Nora?" asked Blake.

"Of course not!" yelled Nora. Everyone then left the room to start panning for the baby shower.

Velvet was about to leave before Ozpin stopped her.

"You do know that Shade will return as soon as he can right?" asked Ozpin, making sure.

"Of course he will. He always does." Said Velvet.

Ozpin nodded and left.

 **Nine months later in the cafeteria**

"Today's the day! Velvet's due today!" said Sarah, almost giddy.

"God you are even more excited that she was when she found out, Sarah!" said Ruby.

"Am I really?" asked Sarah.

"Maybe not more excited, but definitely close to it." Said Lilian, sitting next to Kami.

It was then that team CFVY showed up.

"Hey Velvet!" said Yang.

"Hey guys!" said Velvet sitting down.

"So, today's the day." Said Coco.

"Yeah. I have been expecting my water to break since I woke up." Said Velvet.

"We have been too." Said Coco.

"Why don't we take a walk into town?" asked Ruby.

"What if Velvet goes into labour when we are walking?" asked Weiss.

"Yeah. That makes sense. We probably shouldn't be going into town." Said Ruby.

"We can at least walk around the school though." Said Blake.

"OK let's do that." Said Ruby.

"Sure. Why don't we head to the training room?" asked Mercury.

"That sounds good. But we can't fight Velvet." said Sun.

"I know. I'm not an idiot." said Mercury.

"Well…" said Yang.

"Hey!" yelled Mercury.

"Come on. You know I love you Mercury." Said Yang.

This was when they all left for the training room. Team RWBY began against team JNPR and everyone else sat in the stands. Just before the fight ended, Velvet began holding her stomach.

"Velvet? Are you ok?" asked Kami.

Neo turned around and looked at the ground. "Velvet! Your water just broke! GUYS! VELVET'S WATER JUST BROKE!" yelled Neo.

"SREIOUSLY!?" asked Jaune, running into the stands.

"Yeah! Let's get her to the infirmary." Yelled Lilian, opening the door as everyone else helped Velvet out of the door.

Velvet got there and the doctors brought her into a room. Everyone else was just told to wait outside.

 **Twenty hours later**

"Why is she still in there?" asked Yang.

"I imagine sometimes it takes a while." Said Weiss.

"I wonder if it really is as painful as people say it is." Said Ruby.

"Probably." Said Lilian.

"I would imagine." Said Weiss.

Not long after this, a doctor came out.

"Hello doctor. How is she?" asked Kannon.

"She is fine. There were no problems." Said the doctor.

"That's great. Can we see her?" asked Yang.

"Of course. Second room on your right." Said the doctor.

The group walked down to the room and entered to see Velvet holding her children.

"Hey Velvet. How're you feeling?" asked Sarah.

Velvet didn't respond. She just looked up at Sarah smiling, and then back down at her children.

"That's what I imagined." Said Sarah.

"Have you decided on names yet?" asked Yang.

"Not yet." Said Velvet.

"Do you have any ideas?" asked Weiss.

"Some. I'm thinking either Chris or Eric for the boy, and either Brittany or Audrey for the girl." Said Velvet.

"Audrey? Like my mom's name? And Brittany? Like Shade's ex-girlfriend's name?" asked Neo.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Velvet.

"In my opinion, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to name your daughter after your husband's ex-girlfriend. Especially since she killed herself." Said Weiss

"Good point. Audrey it is. Now for the boy's name. Chris or Eric." Said Velvet.

"Those sound good. Tough choice." Said Blake.

"My vote is going for Chris. Sounds like a strong name." said Coco.

Everyone agreed after a little discussion.

"Chris it is then." Said Velvet.

"Chris and Audrey Hill. I like it." Said Ruby.

"Yeah. The names seem to fit them." Said Yang.

At this point the babies smiled.

"I think they like their names too." Said Coco, noticing their smile.

"I'm sure they do." Said Velvet, smiling with her children in her arms.

"So does it really hurt as much as they say it does?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah it does. You won't be able to handle it." Said Velvet.

"Well, for Sun's sake, I hope she doesn't have to for a long time." Said Yang, glaring at Sun.

"Man. If looks could kill." Said Blake.

"You're telling me." Said Sun.

"Well, we'll just leave you alone Velvet. See you soon." Said Weiss.

"Yeah." Said Velvet as everyone else left.

 **Five years later. One week before Christmas.**

Velvet woke up in her new house. She woke up alone in bed once again.

"Still not back huh?" Velvet asked herself. "I should probably get Audrey and Chris up now." Said Velvet.

Velvet got up and got dressed in a brown tank top and black pants. She left the room and went to get Chris and Audrey up.

Chris yawned as he opened his eyes. "Hi mom." Said Chris, lazily getting out of bed and rubbing his fire red eyes, his short brown hair messy enough to disguise his rabbit ears. Velvet then went to wake up Audrey.

Audrey woke up quickly and was already full of energy. Her long black hair was still neat allowing her wolf ears to be shown. She ran out of the room, Velvet barely getting a glimpse of her forest green eyes.

"Just as energetic as ever I see." Said Velvet, getting to the kitchen and making a plate of pancakes for breakfast.

Chris saw that she was making pancakes. "Are Aunt Nora and Uncle Ren coming over?" asked Chris.

Velvet smiled. "Not today, but Aunt Coco and Uncle Kannon are coming over after breakfast to visit." Said Velvet.

"Yay!" said Audrey.

"We haven't seen them in almost a week." Said Chris.

"Well they were busy getting your Christmas presents." Said Velvet, finishing the first batch of pancakes, and starting another one.

"That's right! "Chris"mas is in a week!" said Chris, putting emphasis on the part that sounded like his name. It was always his favourite holiday. Due to the "t" being silent, he thought it was named after him.

"It isn't named after you Chris." Said Audrey, shaking her head.

Chris just ignored her.

"Typical. I wonder what we're getting." Said Audrey, thinking.

"You'll have to wait to find out." Said Velvet, smiling and finishing another batch of pancakes before getting Audrey and Chris their plates and finally making one for herself.

"Of course we will." Said Chris, starting to eat.

"Oh come on Chris. The surprise is the best part!" said Audrey.

This caused Chris to pause. "…I hate it when you're right Audrey…" said Chris.

"I know." Said Audrey.

They all finished eating at the same time and Velvet took the dishes out to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher before starting it.

"Hey mom?" asked Audrey.

"Yes Audrey?" asked Velvet.

"Can you tell us another story about dad?" asked Audrey.

"Sure. What do you want to hear about?" asked Velvet sitting down on their couch.

"How about when you first realized you were in love with him?" asked Audrey.

"Of course you would pick a girly story like that." Said Chris.

"Well, what one would you pick?" asked Audrey.

"Probably one of the ones where dad beat up someone." Said Chris.

"Well it just so happens that in the story Audrey asked for also has dad beating someone up. So both of you get the story you want." Said Velvet.

"Yay!" yelled Audrey, running over to sit in front of Velvet. Chris simply smiled and sat next to Audrey.

"Alright. So it was a couple months into school. It was my second year. That whole year there were these four boys. Team CRDL. They had a big problem with Faunus. They really didn't like them. So of course, they decided to bully me. Of course, it wouldn't look good for me if I had beaten them up, so I had to just take it. Now that whole year, no one had bothered to step in and defend me. However one day, Ruby, Aunt Yang, Blake and Weiss brought in a new student. That was your dad. From the first time I saw him, I thought he was very handsome. It was a few minutes into that very lunch period that team CRDL began to bully me, just like every other day. As always, I was prepared to just take it. However, after a few minutes of that, I heard a loud sound. Like hands slamming down on a table. I looked over to where your dad was sitting, but I saw him standing up and walking towards the bullies with the most terrifying look I had ever seen on a person. It actually scared me at first. When he got to me, he pushed the leader, a boy by the name of Cardin Winchester, far away from me. At least a couple feet. They began yelling at each other, until Cardin had said something about your father's parents. At this point, something inside your dad seemed to snap. He started getting angry. After a few seconds, your dad began to laugh, but it sounded different. His voice sounded almost demonic. He then looked at the bullies, sending them all into a state of shock. They looked terrified. Cardin tried to punch your dad, but he just grabbed his hand by the wrist, crushed his wrist, then grabbed him by the ankles and put him through a table. Here was when I saw what scared the bullies. Your dad's eyes had turned black. No color, just pure black. This even scared me. After putting Cardin through the table, your dad turned back to the other three boys, who were even more scared. After your dad said that if they didn't leave they would meet the same fate as their leader, they picked up Cardin and ran away. Your dad then turned back to me and said they probably wouldn't bother me ever again, but if they did, just to tell him and he would take care of it. Even though we had never met, he was willing to fight four other guys to defend me. I couldn't believe it. No one else had even made an effort to help me once, but he was offering his help whenever I needed it. This was the point when I fell in love with him. Mind you it still took about another five months before we started dating, but that is how I fell in love with him." Finished Velvet.

"Wow! So dad was that strong?" asked Chris, impressed.

"If you think that was the strongest he could be, you'd be so very wrong." Said a new voice entering the room.

"Aunt Coco!" yelled Audrey.

Coco and Kannon walked into the room holding hands, both of them wearing their wedding rings.

"Hey kids! Another famous Shade story huh?" asked Kannon, picking up both the kids.

"Yeah. They really like them." Said Velvet.

"Understandable." Said Coco.

Coco and Kannon looked around the room.

"Still not back is he?" asked Kannon.

"No. Not yet. But he will be back. That is proof." Said Velvet, pointing to the sword that was hung up on the wall.

"Yeah. He will be." Said Kannon.

"By the way, how does that sword prove dad will come back? I've been meaning to ask that for a while now." Asked Chris, curious.

"Well, that sword originally belonged to your dad's dad." Explained Velvet.

"I get it. No way he would leave that somewhere and not come back to get it." Said Audrey.

"Exactly." Said Kannon.

"So, you guys want to take the kids into town?" asked Velvet.

"Sure. Give you a bit of a rest." Said Coco.

"Alright. Take care of them." Said Velvet.

"Of course. They're perfectly safe with us." Said Kannon.

"Thanks guys." Said Velvet.

"No problem. Let's go you two." Said Coco, leaving with Chris and Audrey.

"Alright. Now to get their gifts wrapped." Said Velvet as they left.

 **In town**

"Where do you guys want to go first?" asked Kannon.

"Why don't we go to the mall?" asked Audrey.

"No let's go to the arcade!" said Chris.

This started an argument between Chris and Audrey.

"Why don't I take Chris to the arcade and Coco, you take Audrey to the mall?" asked Kannon.

"Sure, that works." Said Coco.

"Ok. Let's go." said Audrey, almost dragging Coco to the mall. Kannon also took Chris to the arcade.

 **With Kannon and Chris**

"So what do you want to play first?" asked Kannon.

"How about some of the shooters?" asked Chris.

"Sure. Let's go." Said Kannon.

They started playing the game and were doing great.

"We might get the high score." Said Chris.

"Yeah we might." Said Kannon.

They kept going and eventually beat the high score. After they had finished the game said "New high score."

"I wonder who we beat." Said Chris.

They looked at the leaderboards. The last high score was under the initials "SRV".

"SRV huh?" asked Kannon.

"Any idea?" asked Chris.

"No clue." Said Kannon.

Chris then entered "CNK" into the game. "Chris and Kannon." Said Chris.

"Smart." Said Kannon. They kept playing games until Kannon was ready to leave and find Coco and Audrey to bring the kids back to Velvet.

"Alright Chris. I think it's time to bring you back home." Said Kannon.

There was no response.

"Chris?" asked Kannon.

Still nothing. Kannon looked all over the arcade, but couldn't find Chris anywhere.

"This is bad." Said Kannon freaking out and leaving the arcade. He had bumped into Coco.

"Coco have you seen Chris?" asked Kannon.

"YOU LOST CHRIS?!" yelled Coco.

"Yeah but…" Kannon paused when he realized that Audrey wasn't with Coco.

"Coco, where's Audrey?" asked Kannon.

"She's right…" Coco turned around to see that Audrey was missing too.

Kannon and Coco looked at each other.

"Oh shit." They said in unison.

 **With Chris and Audrey.**

"Hey sis!" yelled Chris after finding his sister.

"Hi. Have you seen Coco or Kannon?" asked Audrey.

"You haven't?" asked Chris.

"I was hoping you had." Said Audrey.

"We lost Kannon and Coco. Oh no." said Chris.

Audrey and Chris wandered through the streets looking for Kannon and Coco until three men walked up to them.

"Are you two lost?" asked the first man.

"Yeah. We can't find our Aunt and Uncle." Said Chris.

"Maybe we can help you find them. What do they look like?" asked the second man.

"Well our uncle is really tall. He is a snake Faunus with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. He also has a large scar along his right eye." Said Audrey.

"I think we may have seen them over here. Follow us." Said the third man.

"Thank you." Said Chris following the three men.

After walking for about ten minutes, the kids started to get worried.

"Are you sure you saw them in this direction?" asked Audrey.

"Of course, just keep going." Said the first man.

Just as the kids were about to leave, a man came out of nowhere and punched the first man in the mouth, sending him backwards into a wall.

"KIDS! GET BEHIND ME!" yelled the man, in a very deep voice. He looked to be in his early twenties, he was wearing sunglasses, and his hair was parted down the middle of his head. Half of it was dark blue while the other half was blood red.

"Ok." Said Chris and Audrey, running behind the man.

"I finally found you three. You guys have been on the streets for too long." Said the man, getting into a fighting stance.

The two remaining men got ready for a fight, but the man had already knocked one down and jumped up to spin kick the third in the head. The three men got back up and began attacking him, slowly trying to wear him down. The man threw his cell phone to Chris and said, "Call 911!" as he fought back.

"Ok." Said Chris, calling 911 and telling the operator where they were.

Not long after he hung up, a whole police force showed up and arrested the three men.

"Thank you sir. We have been trying to capture these men for a long time." Said the police captain.

"All in a day's work." Said the man.

The police drove away and the kids ran up to the man.

"THAT WAS SO COOL! HOW DID YOU LEARN TO DO THAT?" asked the kids, excited.

"Just years of practice." Said the man.

"CHRIS! AUDREY!" yelled Kannon from behind them.

"UNCLE KANNON! AUNT COCO!" yelled Audrey.

"KIDS!" yelled Coco, running over with Kannon to get them. When she got there she hugged the kids as tight as she could.

"Thank god you're ok." Said Coco.

"I think we should be thanking our mystery man here." Said Kannon, looking at the man.

"Oh of course. Thank you so much, whoever you are." Said Coco.

"You may call me Vince. Vincent if you want to be formal." Said the man before jumping onto the roof of a building.

"We should probably get you two back home." Said Kannon.

"Sure. I can't wait to tell mom about that guy." Said Chris.

"Actually wait. Do you think you could not tell her that we lost you? We would really like for Velvet not to hate us." Said Coco.

"Good point. Sure. Well keep quiet." Said the two kids.

Kannon and Coco walked the kids back home and they walked in.

"We're home." Said Chris as they walked in.

"Hi kids. How was your day?" asked Velvet.

"Really fun. We also met this really cool guy that beat up a bunch of bad guys. Kannon and Coco were there too. It was so cool." Said Chris.

"Really? Did he say what his name was?" asked Velvet.

"Yeah. His said his name was Vince." Said Coco.

"Vince huh?" said Velvet.

"Yeah. He was so cool." Said Chris

"He really was pretty strong, but honestly, we should head home now. See you later Velvet. You too kids." Said Coco.

"Bye bye!" Said Audrey. Chris waved bye.

"We should probably get you two to bed as well." Said Velvet.

"Aw. Do we have to?" asked Audrey.

"Yeah. We are going somewhere tomorrow. Ruby and Sun want to see us." Said Velvet.

"Ok. Goodnight mom." Said Audrey, going to bed. Chris followed shortly after. Velvet kissed them both goodnight.

"Goodnight you two." Said Velvet turning off their bedroom light and closing their door. Velvet then returned to her bedroom.

"Another day gone." Said Velvet, picking up a pen on her nightstand and putting another X on her calendar on December 18th before going to bed.

 **The next day**

Velvet woke up and looked to her side. Once again, it was empty.

"As usual." Said Velvet getting up and dressed. After she got dressed she went to wake up the kids.

"Good morning mom!" said Chris as he went with Velvet to wake up Audrey.

"Wake up Audrey." Said Chris.

"Alright. I'm up." Said Audrey getting out of bed.

Velvet went into the kitchen to make breakfast. She made a quick and simple breakfast and sat on the couch as they all ate.

"Hey mom?" asked Audrey.

"Yes Audrey? What is it?" asked Velvet, smiling.

"Do you have any more stories about dad?" asked Audrey.

"Plenty. What do you want to know about?" asked Velvet.

"We'll let you pick this time mom. Tell us your favourite story." Said Chris.

"Alright let's see…" said Velvet thinking.

After a little while of thinking, Velvet remembered the day Shade proposed.

"How about the story about how your dad proposed to me?" asked Velvet.

"Sure. That sounds good." Said Audrey.

"Fine." Said Chris.

"Ok. So, here's the story." Said Velvet starting the story (I would type out the story, but you all know it).

"That was beautiful." Said Audrey as Velvet finished.

"It really was. My words didn't even do it justice." Said Velvet, remembering.

"Yeah. I was watching." Said a new voice.

"Hey Ruby." said Velvet.

"I'm here too!" said Sun, sadly.

"Hi Sun!" said Chris.

"Still aren't calling us Aunt and Uncle yet huh?" asked Sun.

"Not until you two get married." Said Audrey.

"Really?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah. That's what they decided." Said Velvet.

"Well in that case, they won't have to wait long." Said Sun, smiling. Ruby smiled as well.

Velvet was shocked. It didn't take long before Chris and Audrey caught on as well.

"So let's see it Ruby." said Velvet.

Ruby held out her hand to reveal a diamond ring, slightly smaller than Velvet's.

"Congratulations you two." Said Velvet.

"Thanks Velvet." Said Ruby, looking into the room with Sun.

"Still nothing huh?" asked Sun.

"Not yet. Not giving up anytime soon." Said Velvet.

"Wouldn't expect you to." Said Sun.

"Of course not. She still loves him more than life itself." Said Ruby.

"True." Said Velvet.

"Anyways. Do you three want to head into town with us?" asked Sun.

"Sure. Come on kids." Said Velvet, leaving.

Ruby and Sun brought them into town. They went to the cafe.

"Man. When was the last time we were here?" asked Velvet.

"I think it was the day before you and Shade got married." Said Ruby.

"That sounds about right. Nice to see the old place hasn't changed." Said Velvet.

As they five of them sat down the kids looked around and saw a familiar face.

"Hey Audrey, isn't that the guy from yesterday?" asked Chris, pointing to a man standing up at the counter.

Audrey looked over to where Chris pointed. "Yeah it is." Said Audrey.

Vince walked away from the counter with a drink. He sat down at a table, put his drink down, opened a computer and began searching for something. Every once in a while he would seem to be thinking about something, but always shook his head.

"Do you mind if we go over to see him mom?" asked Audrey.

"As long as one of us goes with you." Said Velvet.

"I'll go." Said Ruby, standing up.

"Alright. Let's go." said Chris standing up and walking over to Vince with Audrey and Ruby right behind.

Vince looked up from his computer to see Chris, Audrey and Ruby waling over to him.

"Hey there. How have you been?" asked Chris.

"I've been good. How about you two? Staying out of trouble?" asked Vince.

"Of course." Said Chris.

Vince looked over to Ruby.

"Hello." said Ruby.

Vince kept looking at her, as if trying to figure something out.

"What's up? Is there something on my face?" asked Ruby, wondering why he was staring at her.

"No. It's Ruby right? Ruby Rose." Said Vince.

Ruby was shocked. "How did you know my name?" asked Ruby.

"Trade secret. Sorry Little Red." Said Vince, looking back to his computer.

"Cool. You figured out her name without ever meeting her!" said Audrey, excited.

"Just a little party trick of mine." Said Vince, smirking.

"Do you maybe want to come over and meet everyone else?" asked Chris.

Vince thought before responding. "Yeah sure." Said Vince, standing up.

Vince followed the other three to their table. He sat at the end of the table.

"Here. Let me introduce you. This is my new fiancé-" Ruby was cut off.

"Sun Wukong right?" asked Vince.

Sun was shocked. "Pretty cool talent you have there." Said Sun.

Vince just shrugged. "You could say that." Vince then turned to Velvet and got a questioning look on his face.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, confused at his face.

"You look familiar." Said Vince, thinking.

"How so?" asked Velvet.

"I can't shake this feeling that I've seen you before." Said Vince, still thinking. Not long after he seemed to figure something out. "Are you married?" asked Vince.

"Yeah, but my husband-" Velvet was cut off.

"Shade Hill, right? That makes you Velvet Scarlatina." Said Vince.

"Well, technically Velvet Hill, but yes." said Velvet.

"Of course. I must say, Shade's description was spot on." Said Vince, smiling

"You met my husband?" asked Velvet, shocked.

"Yeah. I met him in Vacuo. He told me about you. In fact, he also gave me a couple messages for you if I got to Vale before he did." Said Vince.

"What are they?" asked Velvet.

"First off, he loves you." Said Vince.

"Of course. Classic Shade." said Sun.

"Second. He said that he found it. He said you would understand that." Said Vince.

"I do. The main base. He'll be back soon. How long ago did you meet him?" asked Velvet.

"About six months." Said Vince.

"He's going to be back really soon." Said Velvet.

"Really? It will be so good to see him again." Said Ruby.

"How long has he been gone?" asked Vince.

"Just over five years." Said Velvet.

"Long time." Said Vince.

"We're finally going to meet our dad?" asked Chris.

"Soon Chris." Said Velvet.

"So these are your children?" asked Vince.

"Yeah. We never introduced ourselves. I'm Audrey and this is Chris." Said Audrey.

"Nice to meet you. As you know, I am Vince." Said Vince.

The group talked with each other, asking Vince about his travels, until Sun got a call.

"Hang on a sec." said Sun, picking up his phone.

Everyone could hear someone talking on the other line, and then Sun said "Um. I actually forgot to find someone."

There was some more talking until Sun said "Do you have any ideas? I don't. Shade isn't back yet either."

"What seems to be the issue?" asked Vince.

"I'll have to get back to you Sarah. I'll find someone." Said Sun, before turning to Vince. "Well, me and my band mates were planning a concert on Christmas, but Shade was our lead singer, so we don't have anyone to sing. I was supposed to find someone, but I haven't." explained Sun.

"I could sing for you." Said Vince.

"Are you any good?" Asked Sun.

"Some people have said that I am." Said Vince.

"Care to demonstrate?" asked Sun.

"Sure." Said Vince, beginning to sing a verse of Angel with a Shotgun. He hit all the notes perfectly. "How was that?" asked Vince.

"That was almost as good as our actual lead singer. If you think you can memorize a couple songs by Christmas, you're in." said Sun, taking the list of songs that were going to be performed at the concert.

"Got it. I'll see you at the concert." Said Vince, leaving the café.

"We should probably get going to let everyone else know about our engagement." Said Sun.

"Yeah. See you later Velvet. Bye kids." Said Ruby.

"Bye Aunt Ruby!" said Audrey.

"Maybe we should head home too kids." Said Velvet.

"OK mom." Said Chris getting up.

Velvet and Audrey also got up to leave. As the left they noticed Vince outside fighting a group of thugs, taking them all down in a matter of minutes before leaving.

"He can fight." Said Velvet.

"We know. We saw him fight yesterday." Said Velvet.

"Who?" asked a voice from behind Velvet.

"Hello Blake." Said Velvet.

"Nice to see you again too Velvet. So who was it that you saw fighting yesterday?" asked Blake.

"That guy over there." Replied Chris, pointing to Vince.

"He seems to know what he's doing." Said Blake.

"He also met Shade in Vacuo." Said Velvet.

"What? Really? Any news?" asked Blake.

"Yeah, he apparently found the main base." Said Velvet.

"So he should be back soon then." Said Blake.

"Yeah. Hopefully." Said Velvet. "By the way, where is Weiss?" asked Velvet.

"She's sick. Just a little cold." Said Blake.

"The ice queen has a cold huh?" asked Yang from behind Velvet.

"Uncle Mercury! Aunt Yang!" yelled Audrey.

"Hey there Audrey. How've you been?" asked Yang.

"Good. Actually we found out something about dad!" said Audrey.

"Really? What's up?" asked Mercury.

"Apparently he found the main base." Said Velvet.

"Which means he's probably on his way back by now." Said Yang.

"We're finally going to meet our dad." Said Chris, excited.

"You seem excited." Said Mercury.

"Why wouldn't we be? We have never met our dad." Said Audrey.

"That's true." Said Yang.

"Yeah. Anyways, we should actually get home. It's getting kind of late." Said Velvet.

"Ok mom." Said Chris, upset.

Velvet's family went back home, stayed up for a little while talking about Shade before going to bed.

Velvet walked over to her calendar, smiled at it and crossed off December 19th.

"Soon Shade. Soon." Said Velvet.

 **Christmas Day**

Chris and Audrey woke up earlier than Velvet, so they went in to wake her up.

"MOM! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" yelled the two kids.

Velvet woke up and rubbed her eyes. "Good morning you two. Merry Christmas." Said Velvet.

"Merry Christmas mom! Let's go!" said Chris, running into the living room to get to the presents.

Velvet and Audrey showed up not long after to see Chris already sorting through the presents to find his.

Audrey and Chris got the typical presents, toys, games and lots of chocolate. After the kids had opened all of their presents, Chris looked at Audrey, and Audrey left the room and went to their bedroom.

"Where is your sister going?" asked Velvet.

"Well you see, me and Audrey actually got you a present. Well, Aunt Coco bought it for us, but it still is our present." Said Chris.

"Really? Thank you." Said Velvet.

"We couldn't really wrap it, but here it is mom." Said Audrey, walking in holding a beautiful red dress and handing it to Velvet.

"Thank you. I love it." Said Velvet, kissing her kids on the cheek.

"Mom!" said Chris, wiping off the kiss.

"Come on kid. One kiss won't kill you." Said Kami, walking in with everyone else.

"I guess Shade still hasn't shown up?" asked Neo.

"No such luck, but hopefully soon." Said Velvet.

"I'm sure he'll be back by the new year." Said Yang.

"I sure hope so." Said Neo.

"Worried about your brother?" asked Sarah.

"A little." Said Neo.

"You don't need to worry about Shade. He's tough. No chance he'll go down." Said Blake.

"Exactly." Said Velvet.

"Anyways, It's Christmas. Time for presents!" said Audrey.

 **(AN- I'm not going to put down what everyone got from everyone else because it will be way too tedious to type and frankly, boring to read except for one.)**

After everyone but Kannon got their presents, Yang got a message.

"Ok, now it's time for you Kannon. Now we all chipped in for this because it was pretty expensive, but it's outside now." Said Yang.

"Alright. Let's go." Said Kannon, exiting the house.

As Kannon got out, he saw a car with a bow on the hood.

"Merry Christmas Kannon!" yelled everyone.

"You got me a car?" asked Kannon, bewildered.

"Actually it's a custom car. An armoured factory five GTM supercar. Only 2 seats, but it has a V8 engine and a top speed of 250 mph." said Mercury.

"Bit of a car buff are you Mercury?" asked Kannon.

"Maybe a bit… yeah." Said Mercury.

"Thought so. But seriously thanks guys. This is awesome." Said Kannon.

"You're welcome." Said everyone.

After everyone had opened their presents, it was getting close to the concert's starting time.

"We should probably get going. Concert starts in a little. Hope you guys show up." Said Sarah, leaving with Mercury and Sun.

"We should all go to the concert." Said Risa.

"Yeah. It's been a while since we all got together." Said Kannon.

"Yeah. It will be a little weird seeing a Fighting Faunus concert without Shade at the mic, but apparently this Vince guy is just as good as him." Said Weiss.

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." Said Yang.

"When is the concert even starting?" asked Ruby.

Velvet looked at the clock. "Let's see, it starts at 3, and it's 2:30 now, so in a half an hour." Said Velvet.

"So what can we do that takes half an hour?" asked Coco.

"Velvet can tell a story about our dad." Said Chris.

"What do you think Velvet? You feel up for a story?" asked Blake.

"Sure. What do you guys want to hear about?" asked Velvet.

"Dad fought the White Fang by himself? That caused Aunt Neo to join beacon right? How about that story?" asked Chris.

"I actually don't know that story too well." Said Velvet.

"I do." said Weiss and Neo.

"How would you like for Weiss and Aunt Neo to tell you that story?" asked Velvet.

"Ok." Said Chris turning to face Weiss.

"Alright. So this was a few months after we had brought Shade to beacon. He had just broken up with Blake and me and him had gotten together." Said Weiss.

"Dad dated both of you too?" asked Audrey.

"Yeah he did, but he ultimately ended up with Velvet. Anyways, a few days after me and Shade had gotten together, I saw him do something I didn't like. You see, it happened like this. I was looking for him, when I saw him in the training room kissing Ruby. Now, I wasn't sure what to think. I had thought he was cheating on me with Ruby. That was when Sun showed up and also thought Ruby was cheating on him with Shade. Not knowing exactly how crazy your father was, we got mad at him, and I ended up telling him I never wanted to see him again, but I was just angry. However, Shade then left beacon, saying he was never going to come back." Said Weiss.

"I can take the story from here Weiss." Said Neo.

"Alright. Good point. You were actually there when he got to the base." Said Weiss.

The kids turned to Neo.

"Alright, so he showed up and started attacking like crazy. He took down at least half the base before one of the leaders got out. The main leader was a man named Felix. He got out and almost killed your dad. However, I was there. Now, you may need a bit of backstory to understand this part." Said Neo, and then told the story about her parents. "So I was pretty angry at him, obviously. When I saw that he was incapacitated, I told Felix to leave him for me. When I got out I wanted to break his spirit. It didn't take long for Weiss to show up. The White Fang captured her, but it didn't take long for everyone else to show up. Yang knocked me out, and they took me prisoner. Weeks later, Shade showed up to interrogate me, and when he finished Ozpin invited me to stay at beacon. That is how I got invited to stay at beacon." Said Neo.

"Wow. Our dad was totally insane." Said Audrey.

"Got that right." Said Velvet.

"And yet you still married him." Said Blake.

"I love him. Of course I married him." Said Velvet.

"She has a point." Said Kannon.

"Let's see. Five minutes until the concert starts. Let's go!" said Ruby.

"Alright. Let's get going." Said Velvet, leading everyone out.

They arrived in the middle of town just as the band was finishing setting up.

"Good to see you guys showed up." Said Sun.

"Is Vince here yet?" asked Velvet when she didn't see him anywhere.

"Yo!" said Vince from on top of one of the speakers. He was staring at a piece of paper.

"What's he doing?" asked Weiss.

"He's making sure he has the words down." Said Sarah, tuning her guitar.

"Got it." Said Vince, jumping off the speaker. "Hey kids." Said Vince.

"Hi Vince." Said Chris.

"Might not be the best idea for the kids to be here. One of the songs has somewhat… explicit lyrics." Said Vince.

"They'll hear them eventually. As long as they don't go around cursing all the time I don't see a problem." Said Velvet.

"That sounds a lot like what Shade would say." Said Vince.

"He's right. That sounds exactly like what Shade would say." Said Yang.

"It's true. At least from what I've seen of him." Said Lilian.

"Hey guys. Looks like everyone else in the town showed up for the concert." Said Sun, pointing into the distance.

The group turned around to see a horde of people heading straight for the concert area.

"Let's get set up quick then." Said Vince, setting up his mic.

After everyone arrived at the stage, the band was finished setting up and on the stage in their places ready to perform.

"Hello everybody! You may notice we don't have our normal lead singer. He is away on… vacation… but we were able to find a replacement that we believe is just as good as our regular singer. Now we do have some new songs, but let's start with one you all know. Hit it!" said Sun, starting the beat for Angel with a Shotgun.

 **(Note: I will not be including any lyrics to be safe from copyright)**

 **(Cue Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab)**

As they finished the song the crowd exploded in a chorus of cheers.

"He is just as good as Shade. Never thought I would say that." Said Yang.

"I know what you mean." Said Velvet.

"It isn't as weird as I thought it would be without Shade at the mic." Said Weiss.

"That's the reaction we were hoping for!" yelled Vince.

Sun then announced the next song. "Alright, this is new song. Now there are a few curse words, just as a warning, you may want to cover any young ears out there. Let's go!" yelled Sun starting the beat.

 **(Cue Reincarnate by Motionless in White)**

The crowd again started cheering loudly.

"That was a lot more violent that I thought it would be." Said Blake.

"Really good song though." Said Lilian.

"Alright, that's a reaction! Next song is essentially something you may have wanted to say to an ex in the past, but honestly, it's probably a good thing you didn't." said Vince as Sun started the next beat.

 **(Cue Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Set it Off)**

"Well that was an angry song." Said Ruby, shocked.

"Definitely wasn't expecting something like that." Said Kami.

"Good songs so far." Said Kannon.

"Alright, now some of you may remember a Battle of the Bands that went on just over five years ago. If not, I'm not surprised. Now the three songs performed there that we wrote got a big reaction, so let's see how they do now." Said Sun starting the beat.

 **(Cue Demon's in my Head by B-Mike, Baby Don't Cut by B-Mike and Chara by Mandopony)**

Just like at the Battle of Bands, all the songs got a major reaction, hyping up the crowd a large amount.

"That's exactly what we like to hear! Only four more songs today. First off, a new song called Gives you Hell!" said Sun.

 **(Cue Gives You Hell by The All American Rejects)**

Once again, the crowd could've caused an earthquake with their cheers.

"Damn that was a good song." Said Coco.

"Yeah, it was." Said Velvet.

"You guys like that one?" yelled Vince, earning a loud cheer.

"Good to know. Next song is called Demons. Ready? Let's go!" yelled Sun.

 **(Cue Demons by Imagine Dragons)**

The crowd was going ballistic. It almost shook the stage.

"It's just one hit after another with them isn't it?" asked Ren.

"Got that right." Said Nora.

"Alright! Now for a song you might know. You're So Creepy! Hit it!" yelled Vince.

 **(Cue You're So Creepy by Ghost Town)**

"You guys remembered that one real quick. I almost didn't even have to sing. You guys could've taken that one on your own!" said Vince.

"Alright. Time for our last sing of the day. This song is for someone out there. It is called Whispers in the Dark!" said Sun.

 **(Cue Whispers in the Dark by Skillet)**

"Now this was really fun. But unfortunately, the concert is now over. Hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Goodnight!" yelled Vince going backstage with the rest of the band.

Everyone eventually left from the backstage area and met up with their friends.

"Good job guys. That was an awesome concert." Said Kannon.

"Thanks guys." Said Sun.

"And you, Vince. You were amazing." Said Weiss.

"I know." Said Vince with a slight hint of arrogance.

"Well it's only about 3:30. Does anyone want to hang out in town for a little while?" asked Sarah.

Everyone, including Vince agreed.

"Even you Vince?" asked Blake.

"Yeah why not? But I need to stop by somewhere for a couple minutes." Said Vince.

"Ok. Lead the way." Said Velvet.

"Alright." Said Vince, beginning to walk towards his destination.

"So, how long have you been in Vale, Vince?" asked Sun.

"Let's see. I got here about nine days ago." Said Vince.

"Really. So you're relatively new to the area." Said Velvet.

"Actually no. I actually lived in Vale a while ago, so I'm relatively familiar to the area." Said Vince.

"So we don't need to show you around." Said Coco.

"Nope." Said Vince.

"Hey Vince. Do you think you could try out that party trick of yours on everyone else?" asked Chris.

"Sure. Who should I try it out on first?" asked Vince.

"What party trick?" asked Yang.

"How about her?" asked Audrey.

"Alright sure. Full name, Yang Xiao Long. Sister of Ruby Rose. Wife of Mercury Black, the drummer of The Fighting Faunus." Said Vince, smirking.

Everyone looked shocked.

"How did you do that?" asked Weiss.

"Just a trick I picked up a while ago. Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust company. In a relationship with Blake Belladonna, formerly high ranking member of The White Fang." Said Vince, intensifying the look of shock on everyone's face.

"This is unreal." Said Neo.

"Neo Politan. Shade's adoptive sister. Daughter of James and Audrey Politan. In a relationship with Sarah Adams, the bass guitarist of The Fighting Faunus and third successfully created Grim hybrid." Said Vince.

"How did you know about The Blood Brothers?" asked Sarah, shocked.

However, before Vince could answer, Kannon did for him. "It isn't a party trick. He knows who we are personally." Said Kannon.

"Oh he caught me." Said Vince, smirking.

"But, how could we have met if we don't know who he is?" asked Velvet.

"You see, the interesting thing is, you have met me. You know who I am, you just don't realize it yet." Said Vince, still smiling.

"Well then who are you Vince?" asked Ruby.

"Come on Ruby. Where would the fun be if I just told you who I was?" asked Vince.

"What are you going to do?" asked Velvet.

"Alright how about this? We keep walking around town. Every time I say or do something, it will be a hint as to who I am, as you know me. If you have an idea and you need something of mine to make sure, just let me know, and I might give it to you, as long as it doesn't give it away to too many people. When you think you have it, whisper it to me. I will let you know if you are right or not. You need to whisper it though to keep the game fair. How's that sound?" asked Vince.

"Sounds like fun." Said Ruby.

"Yeah, let's do that." Said Velvet.

"Alright. First hint, right off the bat. Neo, I feel really bad about what happened to your parents, but it was an accident." Said Vince.

Neo's face turned to an expression of shock. "You bastard." Said Neo, walking over to Vince, and whispering something in his ear.

Vince smirked and chuckled. "One down, seventeen to go seeing as Fox and Yatsu aren't here." Said Vince.

"Oh my god." Said Coco, walking over and whispering to Vince.

"Nice. Sixteen left." Said Vince.

"Do we actually know Vince?" asked Yang.

"Yeah we do." Said Neo.

"Alright. Let's keep going. Sarah. I assume your treating Neo as she deserves to be treated." Said Vince.

"You've got to be kidding me." Said Sarah, approaching Vince. She also whispered something in his ear.

"Make that fifteen to go." Said Vince, letting out another chuckle, and grabbing something out of his belt holder. It was a flask. Upon seeing the flask, Yang let out a gasp.

"What is it Yang?" asked Vince.

"Um, do you mind if I borrow that flask?" asked Yang.

Vince smirked. "Sure thing Yang." Said Vince, handing her the flask.

Yang was about to take a swig of what was in it. "Wait a sec Yang. Do you need to take a swig?" asked Vince.

"Not if you can tell me what's in it." Said Yang.

"Sure. Whiskey. My favourite drink." Said Vince, getting his flask back from Yang. Yang, Blake and Lilian's jaws all dropped to the floor. They all walked over to Vince and whispered in his ear.

"Twelve to go." Said Vince.

"Um actually, I have an idea, but I need a swig to make sure." Said Sun.

Vince's face fell. "Fine. But only one swig Sun." said Vince, handing Sun his flask.

Sun took a quick sip and swallowed. He gave the flask back to Vince smirking. "Cinnamon whiskey. You son of a bitch." Said Sun.

"And don't you forget it." Said Vince.

"But, I haven't made my guess yet." Said Sun.

"Alright, get over here then." Said Vince. Sun walked over and whispered to Vince.

"Bingo." Said Vince.

"By the way, I won't forget it." Said Sun.

"Wouldn't expect you to." Said Vince. "By the way, I just feel the need to point out something. Look at who hasn't gotten it yet." Said Vince. Everyone looked over, and nodded.

"Shocker huh?" asked Vince. "Anyways. Weiss, I see you and Blake are still together. Good to know that favour is being put to good use." Said Vince.

"You little-" said Weiss, walking over and whispering to Vince.

"There's another one." Said Vince.

"I can't believe you." Said Weiss.

"Did you honestly expect anything else from me?" asked Vince with a look of "Really?" on his face.

"No. I suppose not." Said Weiss.

"Ok. We're here. I'll be back out in a sec." said Vince, walking into a house. He exited with a sword.

"Vince, can I borrow that sword for a sec?" asked Ruby.

"Sure thing Ruby." Said Vince. Ruby took the sword out of the sheath, looked at it for a few seconds, and walked over to Vince, whispering something in his ear.

"Got it Ruby." Said Vince.

"I should cut you with this right now." Said Ruby, holding up his sword.

"Give me back my sword Ruby." Said Vince, getting his sword back.

"So Ren. Good to see Nora hasn't put you back in the Friendzone again." Said Vince.

Nora ran over to Vince with Ren not far behind. They both whispered in his ear at the same time.

"Double bingo." Said Vince. "So let's see. Mercury, Kannon, Velvet, Jaune, Pyrrha and the other siblings, Kami and Risa." Said Vince, causing Kami and Risa to make a guess.

Vince chuckled. "Five left. By the way, check this out." Said Vince, forcing two faunus ears to pop up on his head, before putting them back down and the bringing them back up again.

Kannon just shook his head, and walked over to Vince.

"You got it. Don't even bother saying anything. I know you have it Kannon." Said Vince.

"Good to know you have that much faith in me." Said Kannon.

"Yeah. You know, I actually miss my black hair." Said Vince.

"DUDE!" yelled Mercury.

"Keep it down Mercury." Said Vince as Mercury whispered to him.

"Ding Ding." Said Vince.

"You suck, Ok." Said Mercury.

"Yeah I know. So Pyrrha, you still worried that your relationship with Jaune won't go anywhere?" asked Vince.

"I ought to kill you." Said Pyrrha, along with Jaune, whispering into Vince's ear.

"Both of you got it. I am just beyond shocked Velvet hasn't gotten it yet." Said Vince.

"I know what you mean." Said Yang.

"Should I have it by now?" asked Velvet, confused.

"Honestly, yeah." Said Vince.

"Well, keep going then Vince." Said Velvet, paying extra attention to him.

"Alright. Doesn't look like the sun is too strong right now. Guess I can take these off now." Said Vince, taking off his sunglasses, causing his hair in to fall front of his face, covering his right eye and turning to Velvet.

"Hey there." Said Vince.

"Hey Vince." Said Velvet confused.

"Wow. That should've made it obvious." Said Yang.

"I know." said Vince turning away from Velvet.

"Hang on Vince. Did you say your hair used to be black?" asked a voice from Velvet's direction, but not her voice.

"Chris?" asked Vince.

"Me too." Said Audrey.

"Right. But yeah. My hair used to be black." Said Vince, causing Chris and Audrey to whisper in his ear.

"Well, that was unexpected. They got it." Said Vince, turning to everyone who had already got it.

"And Velvet still hasn't." said Kannon.

"Unreal." Said Coco.

"There's only one thing left for me to do. If she doesn't get it after this, I may need to rethink some things." Said Vince, brushing the hair out of his eye, turning to Velvet and opening his eyes.

"Now do you have it?" asked Vince.

"Oh my god. Your eye. It's… it looks exactly like… is it possible?" asked Velvet, reaching out to touch Vince's face, but accidently poking him in the eye.

Vince closed his eye. "Ok, that's just poking me in the eye." Said Vince, laughing it off while brushing his hair back in front of his eye.

Velvet was in shock. She couldn't even move.

"Is Velvet broken?" asked Jaune.

"Just a sec." said Vince, holding up one hand, and counting down from five.

When he reached one, Velvet jumped into his arms, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Shade wasted no time in kissing her back.

It was at least a minute before they finally separated. Velvet just buried her face in Shade's shoulder. They stayed like that for another minute before Velvet let go.

"Now, I'm sure you all have a lot of questions. Let's get those out of the way right now." Said Shade.

"Will you be my best man?" asked Sun.

"OK, not my prediction for the first question, but whatever. Of course I'll be your best man." said Shade.

"Thanks Shade." said Sun.

"No problem. Any other questions?" asked Shade.

"I got one. What's with the whole Vince thing?" asked Kannon.

"Right. You see, I found out a couple things on the journey. For example, my real first name. Vincent." Said Shade.

"Ok. Can we still call you Shade though?" asked Ruby.

"Of course. I'm still not used to calling myself Vince. Shade is fine." Said Shade.

"Alright. Did you learn anything else?" asked Neo.

"Yeah. I can tell you about my birth parents. I found them on my journey." Said Shade.

"Really? Yeah. That." Said Velvet.

"Alright. I have to tell you the whole story. Let me take you back six months to when I had found the main base. This will also bring in another surprise." Said Shade.

 **Six months prior**

"This is where the base should be, but there isn't anything here." Said Shade, looking around. "Maybe I'm in the wrong spot?" Shade asked himself, pulling out the map. He checked over and over again, but every time he looked at it, it showed that he was in the right spot.

"I must be missing something here." Said Shade, beginning to think. He then remembered the first hidden base in Vale. "All those puzzles. This is just another puzzle." Shade began looking at the map backwards, until he noticed something. When the map was folded into quarters and a line was drawn through all the previously found bases, it looked like an unfinished B. "I just need to finish it." Said Shade. Finding the spot where the last dot would go to finish the B, he noticed it was where he was.

"Damn. I really thought I was onto something there. Maybe I should head back to town and ask around." Said Shade, but as he turned around he saw what looked like a ripple in the distance.

"What was that?" asked Shade, going to investigate it. As he approached, he started to hear a faint buzzing. As he continued to stand directly in front of the ripple, the buzzing became louder. He took a step into the ripple and saw his foot disappear. Continuing forward, more of his body vanished. As his head passed the ripple, a lush forest came into view.

"This must be how it remained hidden for so long." Said Shade, taking out his sword, and starting to creep through the forest, making no noise at all. Continuing on, he saw what looked like a man-made structure. Ducking into the shadows, he saw a group of people on what seemed to be a patrol.

"Maybe he hasn't figured it out yet?" asked one.

"No way. Reese doesn't make mistakes. He knows where he is at all times. I mean, he has that tracker in his head after all." Said another.

"That's how he knew where I was at all times. I must have found the base. But first, take out the patrol." said Shade, jumping for the patrol and taking them down in a matter of seconds. He began walking towards the structure. When he got to it, it was strangely quiet. But not long after, an alarm started blaring, and a large group of Blood Brothers came out, already in grim form.

"Well, didn't expect this to be mandatory right off the bat." Said Shade, turning into his grim form.

The Blood Brothers were wearing him down quickly, until a deep voice stopped them. A man stepped into view. He was tall and wore glasses. He had brown hair and red eyes. He wore a white shirt and pants. Shade got up just as the man got to him.

"Hello Shade. It is nice to see you again." Said the man.

Shade reverted back into his normal form. "Who the hell are you?" asked Shade.

"Of course. How rude of me. I am the man you know as Reese Mars. I am the one who made you what you are." Said the man.

"How kind of you to introduce yourself." Said Shade, sarcastic.

"Come now. I don't see why you needed to be sarcastic." Said Reese.

"Whatever. I want to know things. That is why I came this far." Said Shade.

"You want knowledge. Then you must fight." Said Reese, receiving a staff from one of his Blood Brothers.

"This doesn't seem fair." Said Shade.

"They will not intervene. This will be one on one. No interference." Said Reese.

"Alright. Let's go then." Said Shade, drawing his sword.

Reese pulled out a pair of swords, but connected them together into a dual edged sword and spun it around skillfully.

"Impressive. But enough with the flashy moves. It's time to fight." Said Shade, charging at Reese, swinging his sword inwards at Reese, barely catching him. Shade continued on the offensive, keeping Reese on the defensive. After blocking one of Shade's slashes, Reese jumped back.

"Well done." Said Reese, disconnecting his swords and swinging one at Shade. Shade blocked it, but Reese caught him with his other sword, slashing him on the arm. Shade reeled back and jumped into the air. As he came back down, he swung his sword downwards at Reese, who rolled backwards to dodge. Shade got back up and ran at Reese, who was just able to move to the side. Shade spun around fast, slashing Reese's back. Shade jumped over him, and switched to a fire dust, lighting his sword and slashing down at him, leaving him with a burn mark on his arm, causing him to drop one of his swords. Shade landed just in front of him, flipped backwards, kicking Reese in the jaw, and sending him into the air. Shade activated his semblance, leaving a fire copy with its sword straight up. Shade deactivated his semblance and jumped into the air. He switched to an ice dust, and left a copy above Reese, accelerating his fall, sending him stomach first into the fire copy's sword. Shade the switched to an electricity dust and fired a few rounds at his copy, causing it to explode, creating a thick cloud of steam around the battle field, causing the electricity to chain around the field, hitting Reese. As the steam cleared, Shade saw Reese, lying on the ground, his swords gone. Thinking it was over, Shade began walking away, until he heard a slight laugh coming from Reese.

"What's so funny?" asked Shade.

"You know Shade, your good. Really good. Something you should know. I'm sure you learned from those files that any adults injected with grim genetics died. While that was true to an extent, it wasn't instantaneous. They had a couple hours of pure unrivaled strength." Said Reese.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Shade.

In answer, Reese opened his jacket and pulled out a strange device. As he pressed a red button on it, he became surrounded with a black aura, similar to Shade's. His injuries were healed. His voice became deeper, and he began to transform.

Upon observing this, Shade knew what Reese had done. Whatever that device was had given him the power of grim. Reese crushed the device, and Shade felt power leave his body. Shade was confused, but Shade knew he needed to transform as well. As Shade tried to go grim, he found he couldn't. Reese began chuckling.

"That device was the source of the Blood Brother's power. With it destroyed, I am the only one left. You cannot access your grim blood. Without it to give you strength, you will die. However, I am a reasonable man. I will spare your life if you join my army." Said Reese.

"I would sooner die where I stand than side with you." Said Shade.

"That can be easily arranged." said Reese, dashing forward and slashing at Shade with extended claws. Shade slashed at Reese's back, but his sword just bounced off. Reese laughed again.

"Dammit." Said Shade, firing a few fire rounds at Reese, but seemingly not doing anything to Reese.

Reese turned around to face Shade, and attacked him with his claws, causing multiple severe wounds on Shade's chest, arms and legs, causing him to drop his sword and fall to his knees. Reese jumped forward and kicked Shade in the face, knocking him into the ground. As Shade bounced back up, Reese came from behind him and drove Shade's head into the ground in a head scissor, causing Shade to fall on his back, lacking the energy to even move. Reese walked over to him.

"I thought you had more in you. Guess I was wrong. This is the end for you Shade. Any last words?" asked Reese.

Shade stayed silent, refusing to give Reese the satisfaction.

"Very well." Said Reese, preparing plunge his claws into Shade's chest. However, before he was able to, a blast of fire knocked him backwards.

Shade looked back, confused. He saw someone emerge from the woods around the base. As the person stepped into the light, he recognised the person as Cinder Fall.

"What?" whispered Shade.

"I can't let this happen Reese. I may have supported your dreams back then, but that was when we were married. I won't allow you to harm him any more than you already have." Yelled Cinder.

'Married?' thought Shade, confused.

"Did you not see what Vincent did to me? He is an ungrateful son." Said Reese.

Shade then became confused.

"You brought that upon yourself Mars. Did he ever say he wanted to be a hybrid? Is that how he wanted to cure his sickness?" asked Cinder.

"I did that for him. He would've died without it. It is because of me he has lived this long." Said Reese.

Shade began to recover and grabbed his sword.

"Do you think that excuses it? Well?" asked Cinder, with Reese not responding.

Shade then stood up and charged at Reese, catching him off guard and plunging his sword into Reese's chest.

Reese chuckled. "I knew you could do it. Well done. You stopped me. You saved many people." Said Reese, and the life began to drain from his eyes. "Thank you Vincent." said Reese, falling off Shade's sword and falling to the ground. As he died, the Blood Brothers seemed to snap out of some sort of trance.

"Vincent?" asked Shade.

"Yes Shade. Vincent." Said Cinder.

"I thought that was the name of Reese's son?" asked Shade.

"Yes. It was." Said Cinder.

"I don't underst-" Shade stopped mid-sentence. "You mean?" asked Shade.

"Yes. Reese Mars was your father." Said Cinder. "Your birth name is Vincent Mars." Said Cinder.

"You seem to know a great deal about my past." Said Shade.

"Yes, I suppose I do." Said Cinder.

"In that case, do you happen to know my mother's maiden name? I plan on taking it over Mars. I would prefer not to be reminded of him." said Shade.

"I see. Yes I do. Your mother's maiden name was Fall." Said Cinder.

"I see. Then my name shall be Vincent Fa-" Shade stopped mid- sentence once again. "Fall." Whispered Shade, turning to face Cinder. "I really hope I'm not wrong about this because if I am, this is going to be very awkward, but fuck it. Mom?" asked Shade, shaking.

Cinder smiled. "Yes my son?" asked Cinder back.

Shade continued shaking, unable to speak. He wanted to say something, but resorted to hugging Cinder, who hugged him back.

After Shade was able to speak again, he released Cinder from the hug. "I have a question." Said Shade.

"Understandable. Ask away." Said Cinder.

"While you were talking about me, you mentioned something about sickness. What was that about?" asked Shade.

"Of course. You don't remember this, but you were quite sickly as a child. We were told there was a chance you wouldn't live past the age of ten. Your father, being the genius he was, formed a plan to incorporate grim genetics into your DNA in hopes of curing you, as it seems that grim have never been reported to be ill. After extensive study, your father determined that it may be due to a much stronger immune system, meaning that if he could create you into a hybrid, you would survive. It took many attempts, but eventually he succeeded, curing your illness and saving your life." explained Cinder.

Shade just nodded, unable to respond in any other way. As he prepared to leave, he heard a quiet voice call his name.

Shade turned around to see a young girl who looked to be around four years old approach him. She had red hair and blue eyes. She was wearing all black.

"Hello young girl. What is it?" asked Shade.

Beginning to rant, the young girl explained that she was brought here by Reese after her parents had abandoned her. Knowing that her family wouldn't want her back, she explained that she had nowhere to go. Knowing what she was going to ask, Shade stopped her.

"Are you asking me to adopt you?" asked Shade.

"Well, simply put, yes." Said the girl.

"Alright. If that's what you want, I will adopt you, however, I need to know your name." said Shade.

"Right. My name is Olivia." Said the young girl.

"Nice to meet you Olivia. As I'm sure you know, I am-" Olivia cut him off.

"Dad. You are dad." Said Olivia.

"Feels strange being called that. But not bad." Said Shade.

"I guess that gives me three grandchildren." Said Cinder.

"Three?" asked Shade.

"Oh right. You don't know yet. Velvet was pregnant with twins when you left. She knows you would've stayed had you known, so there is no need to feel bad." Said Cinder.

"I've been a dad for nearly five years?" asked Shade, perplexed.

"Yes. You have." Said Cinder.

"So that means I have siblings?" asked Olivia.

"Yes. It does." Said Cinder.

"Then I guess it's time to head home. Back to Vale." Said Shade, leaving the base behind with his daughter and mother.

 **Back to the present day**

"So hold on. We have three kids?" asked Velvet.

"I couldn't just turn her away could I?" asked Shade.

"I'm not mad, I'm just confused. I mean, none of us have seen this Olivia." Said Velvet.

"Um, actually we have." said Sun, Sarah and Mercury.

"When?" asked Velvet.

"Well, you see…" said Sun, starting a story.

 **Earlier, before the concert**

Sun, Sarah and Mercury all showed up to see Vince sitting on top of one of the stereos. He waved to them as they walked in.

"Hey Vince. Good to see you're ready." Said Sun.

"Yeah. These are some good songs." Said Vince.

"Thanks. Usually Shade writes our lyrics. He is much better at thinking of lyrics on the spot than we are." Said Sun, as everyone started to set up for the concert.

"Good to know." Said Vince with a smirk.

"Dad!" yelled a high pitched voice.

Vince looked up to see a girl enter the concert hall.

"Hello Olivia. Why are you here?" asked Vince.

"I asked Matt if I could come to see you perform." Said Olivia.

"I assume he came with you." Said Vince.

"Hey Vince!" yelled Matt from the doors.

Vince waved back.

"By the way, when can I meet my mom and siblings?" asked Olivia.

"Soon Olivia. Probably later today." Said Vince.

"Mom and Siblings?" asked Sun.

Vince was about to make something up, but Olivia started talking. "Yeah. You see, dad had to leave behind his wife to go on a journey. While he was gone, his wife had kids. He adopted me a few months ago in Vacuo after he saved me from a man named Reese Mars." Said Olivia.

Vince face palmed and sighed.

Sun looked at Vince and crossed his arms.

"So you've figured it out huh Sun?" said Vince.

"Good to see you again Shade." said Sun.

"You too Sun. Listen can you keep this quiet until everyone else figures it out?" asked Vince.

"Of course." said Sun.

Sarah and Mercury then came out from backstage.

"Hey Sun, can you give us a hand with one of the amps?" asked Mercury until he saw Olivia.

"Hello little girl." Said Mercury.

"That's Olivia. Vince's daughter." Said Sun.

"Really? I thought it was Shade's daughter Olivia." Said Sarah.

"You heard that huh?" asked Vince.

"Yeah. Well keep it quiet too." Said Mercury.

"Thanks guys." Said Vince.

"Hey Sun. You know we could play that other song. The one we saved for when Shade got back." Said Mercury.

"Yeah. Hey Shade? Try out this song." Said Sun, handing him another page of lyrics.

"Alright. And remember, Vince." Said Shade.

"Right. You got it Vince." Said Sun.

 **Back to present**

"We would've told you, but we promised." Said Sun.

"Does that mean that I can bring her over now?" asked a new voice from behind them.

Everyone except Shade turned around to see Matt behind them, carrying Olivia on his shoulders.

"Yeah go ahead Matt." Said Shade.

Matt put Olivia down, and she ran over to meet everyone.

"Everyone, this is Olivia." Said Shade, picking her up on his shoulders.

"Hello Olivia." Said everyone.

"Hi! Quick question, which one of you is mom?" asked Olivia.

"That'd be me." Said Velvet.

"Hi mom!" said Olivia, getting off Shade's shoulders and running over to hug Velvet.

"You are very energetic." said Velvet.

"That would make us your siblings. I'm Chris." said Chris, walking up to Olivia with Audrey.

"And I'm Audrey." Said Audrey.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Olivia." said Olivia.

"Vince, maybe you don't forget about your mom next time." Said a female voice.

"Alright mom. Everyone, this is my mom. Cinder Fall." Said Shade, introducing her.

"Hello everyone." Said Cinder.

"Hello Cinder." Said everyone except Velvet, Chris, Audrey and Olivia.

"I assume this is my new Daughter-in-Law." Said Cinder.

"Yes. Velvet. And these two are Chris and Audrey." Said Velvet, introducing herself and the two kids.

"Well, I must say you are much prettier than Shade described." Said Cinder.

"I told you my words couldn't do her justice." Said Shade.

"That is true. Anyways, I need to go somewhere, I'll see you all on some other date." Said Cinder.

"Your mom seems nice." Said Yang.

"She is." Said Shade.

"Hello Shade." said a voice that Shade hadn't heard in a long while.

Shade turned around to see Ozpin behind him.

"Hello headmaster. How have you been?" asked Shade.

"I have been well. How have you been?" asked Ozpin.

"I have been well as well." Said Shade.

"Have you returned to Vale permanently?" asked Ozpin.

"Yes. I have." Said Shade.

"Good. I have a proposition for you." Said Ozpin.

"What might that be?" asked Shade.

"Well, I heard that all Blood Brothers have lost their abilities of Grim." Said Ozpin.

"Yes. Reese destroyed the device." Said Shade.

"I assumed he would. However, I am sure you knew that I worked with him briefly. While I was there, I actually grab the blueprints for the device. With some help, I would be able to create a second device, allowing you to re-access your Grim abilities." Said Ozpin.

"I would gladly help, but I feel as if there was more to this conversation than this." Said Shade.

"Intuitive as ever I see." Said Ozpin.

"What might be your other proposition?" asked Shade.

"As I am sure you noticed, I am not exactly as young as I once was. Though I still can, I believe it may be time to assign a new headmaster of beacon academy. Even though you never officially graduated, I believe you are the one person most suited to take over my position. It would also be beneficial if you could teach combat class along with Professor Goodwitch." Explained Ozpin.

"I would gladly accept, the only issue is my band." Said Shade.

"While you would be the acting Headmaster, I would still be able to act as an interim Headmaster. I could take over on days you needed me too, and Professor Goodwitch is more than capable of teaching on her own, as I am sure you know." Said Ozpin.

"In that case, I accept." Said Shade.

"Very well. You will start at the start of the next school year." Said Ozpin.

"Thank you Ozpin." Said Shade.

"You're welcome, Headmaster." Said Ozpin, leaving.

"Congratulations Shade!" said Sun.

"Thanks guys. Are there any more questions about my journey, or can we just hang out as friends again?" asked Shade.

"Actually yeah. Why'd you dye your hair?" asked Pyrrha.

"I was trying to disguise myself so Reese wouldn't see me coming. Didn't know about the tracker." Said Shade. "Anything else?" asked Shade.

No one came with any questions.

"Alright then." Said Shade.

"Actually dad, you are a hunter right?" asked Chris.

"I suppose. Why?" asked Shade.

"Well, your other sword is at our house. Do you want to come with me and get it?" asked Chris.

"Sure. Lead the way Chris." said Shade, following Chris.

"I can't believe he's back." Said Yang.

"I know. It's been five years." Said Ruby.

"It is good to have him back." Said Kannon.

"Just nice to see him again." Said Coco.

"I know what you mean." Said Sarah.

"Good to see he hasn't changed too much." Said Blake.

"I know what you mean. He's just as insane as ever, and I still love him just as much." Said Velvet.

"We're back." Said Shade as he returned.

"We forgot something! We had another present for you two!" said Pyrrha, pointing to the kids.

"Really? What is it?" asked Chris, excited about the present.

"You wanted to be hunters right?" asked Pyrrha.

"Of course." Said Audrey.

"We were going to unlock your aura for you." said Pyrrha.

Pyrrha approached Audrey while Jaune approached Chris. At this point, the two started talking.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." Repeated the two, as Chris started to glow red, and Audrey started to glow purple.

"Woah." Said Chris.

"This is so cool." Said Audrey.

"So? What do you think?" asked Shade.

"This is awesome!" said Chris.

"Well, I guess since you had your aura unlocked it's Ok to give you your other gifts." Said Kannon.

"Really? More?" asked Audrey.

"Yeah. Can you get them Matt?" asked Kannon.

"Sure. I'll go get them." Said Matt.

"What did you get us?" asked Chris.

"You'll see." Said Coco.

"Why didn't I see any gifts there?" asked Shade.

"Well we asked Matt to hide them well." Said Coco.

"Oh, alright." Said Shade as Matt returned with two large boxes, neither of which were wrapped.

Matt knocked the boxes over and weapons spilled out of them.

"We decided that we should let you pick out your weapons, and depending on which one you chose, one of us can help you practice with it. Just pick whichever one you want. Olivia, there should be enough for you too." Said Kannon.

The three kids went over to the pile of weapons on the ground and began searching through them.

Chris found what he wanted quickly. A pair of black gauntlets that could shot dust rounds. Similar to Ember Celica in design.

"I knew you were a smart one." Said Yang.

Olivia continued looking through the pile and found a battle axe with a red blade and a blue handle that could transform into a machine gun. "Looks like you get Lilian." Said Kannon.

Audrey was having trouble deciding. Looking through the weapons, she found one that looked interesting. A black scythe.

"Nice choice. There's a button on the handle. Could you press it for everyone?" asked Coco.

Audrey found it, causing another curved scythe blade to come out of the other end, forming a dual bladed scythe. "This is awesome. Who's training me?" asked Audrey.

"Ruby and Kami. Ruby will teach you how to use a scythe safely, and Kami will teach you about using a dual bladed weapon." Said Kannon.

"Cool." Said Audrey.

"Only one thing remains." Said Shade.

"Names." Said Chris.

"Yeah. Any ideas for anyone yet?" asked Shade.

"Black Lotus." said Audrey.

"Well, that didn't take long." Said Ruby.

"I got one. Chevalier Noir (French for Black Knight)." Said Chris.

"That's a good one." Said Shade.

"What about you Olivia?" asked Lilian.

"Heavy Carnival." Said Olivia.

"That fits." Said Velvet.

"Thanks mom!" said Olivia.

"You're welcome honey." Said Velvet.

"It's getting late. Maybe we should all head home." Said Kami.

"Yeah. The sun is starting to set. See you guys tomorrow." Said Shade.

"You got it." Said Kannon.

With that, Shade, Velvet, Chris, Audrey and Olivia all went home. The whole family went to the living room. Shade sat down and Velvet sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey dad?" asked Chris.

"Yes?" asked Shade.

"Can you tell us a story?" asked Chris.

"Sure. About what?" asked Shade.

"How about one with team CRDL? Mom told us that you protected her from them, but we actually never met them. My guess is that you don't hang out with them because they were mean to mom, but maybe not." Said Chris.

"Well, that isn't why you haven't met them. You haven't met them because they are dead." Said Shade, not sugar coating it at all.

"Still as blunt as ever I see." Said Velvet.

Shade simply smiled.

"How did they die?" asked Audrey.

"Well, Sky hurt Coco so Kannon killed him, Russel hurt Lilian so Kami killed him, Dove hurt Neo so Sarah killed him, and Cardin hurt Velvet so I killed him." said Shade.

"Cool." Said Olivia.

"Not the reaction I expected, but a better reaction." Said Shade.

Shade then told the story of the fight between his friends and Torchwick with the betrayal of team CRDL.

"Wow. They were jerks." Said Olivia.

Chris was about to agree, but he yawned along with Audrey.

"Ok guys. I think it's time to go to bed." said Shade.

"Alright. Goodnight mom. Goodnight dad." Said the three kids, going into the bedroom.

Shade and Velvet stayed up just sitting with each other, not saying anything, just enjoying each other's company, until Velvet spoke.

"Wait, we only have two beds, but we have three kids." Said Velvet.

"Don't worry about Olivia honey. She doesn't need a bed." Said Shade.

"What do you mean?" asked Velvet.

"Follow me." Said Shade.

Velvet and Shade went to the bedroom, to see Olivia sleeping, pressed up against the ceiling.

"Um, what?" asked Velvet.

"Olivia can alter gravity around her slightly. If she wanted to, she could sleep in mid-air. I know. I've seen it." Said Shade.

"I guess she doesn't need a bed if she can just hover." Said Velvet.

"Nope. I don't need a bed." Said Olivia, showing she was still awake.

"Good to know." Said Velvet as she and Shade left to their bedroom. They changed into their sleepwear and got in bed.

"Goodnight honey." Said Shade.

"Goodnight sweetie. Welcome home." Said Velvet as they closed their eyes and fell asleep.

 **Two days later**

Velvet woke up before Shade and she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. A few minutes after she started everyone else got up and met her in the kitchen. Shade snuck up behind her and hugged her.

"Hey honey. Good morning." said Shade kissing Velvet on the cheek.

"Good morning sweetie." replied Velvet kissing Shade back.

After breakfast was ready and everyone was finished, there was a knock on the door. Shade got off the couch to get the door. When he opened it, he saw a lot of his friends holding presents.

"Merry late Christmas Shade!" yelled everyone as they started to walk in.

"Woah thanks guys. I actually managed to find some gifts for some of you." Said Shade.

"Thanks Shade. Now some of us aren't here, but the only reason for that is because they couldn't find a gift. I mean we had like two days to find something." Said Yang.

"No problem." Said Shade, sitting back down on the couch.

The majority of Shade's gifts were along the lines of weapon mods or just basic gifts. Shade was grateful for all of them, but hesitated when he got to Yang's gift.

"This is the one I was worried about." Said Shade, holding the small box.

"Why would you be worried?" asked Yang.

"I know what kind of person you are Yang." Said Shade.

"Just open it Shade." said Yang.

Reluctantly, Shade opened the box. The second he saw what was in it he looked up at Yang, unamused.

"What is it Shade?" asked Yang, smiling.

"You must think this is really funny Yang." Said Shade.

"No. I find it absolutely hilarious." Said Yang, still smiling.

Shade took out the gift. It was chew toy in the shape of a bone. He put it in his mouth and bit down on it a couple times as a joke. "Really funny Yang." Said Shade, putting it back in the box.

"I thought it was." Said Blake.

"Yeah, me too." Said Kannon.

"I think we all found it funny." Said Velvet.

Everyone agreed.

"Alright. Maybe it was kind of funny. But now I got gifts for you." Said Shade, going back to the bedroom, where he hid the presents.

"I wasn't able to find presents for a lot of you, but I got some." Said Shade, coming out with a few presents.

"We don't need presents. You are enough of a present. For me at least." Said Velvet.

"That's sweet." Said Ruby.

"Yeah, it is." Said Coco.

"Anyways, you first Ruby." Said Shade, handing her a box.

Ruby tore her gift open to see a brand new pair of head phones.

"Figured that you love music. Head phones sounded like a sensible choice." Said Shade.

"Thanks Shade. I actually lost my old headphones." Said Ruby.

"Guess I made the right choice then." Said Shade.

Shade handed out his presents one by one, getting Sun a new guitar and getting Yang what looked like a business card.

"You see, my friend owns a spa, thought I give you her card in case you're looking for a day to relax." Said Shade.

"Wow thanks Shade." said Yang.

Shade continued giving out his gifts, getting Neo and Sarah a date night. A free dinner at a fancy restaurant and a free movie. The last gift was for Blake.

"Now Blake, you may want to open this gift in private." Said Shade.

"Why?" asked Blake.

"Trust me." Said Shade.

"Alright." said Blake, going into another room, followed by Shade.

Blake opened the gift, revealing a copy of Ninjas of Love, volume two.

"How did you know?" asked Blake, her face red.

"You didn't hide it as well as you thought. I saw the first volume on the bookshelf in the room. The second volume came out recently, so I thought I'd get it for you." Said Shade.

"I see why I should've opened it in private. Thank you Shade." said Blake.

"I assume no one else knows yet? Not really an easy way to say that you like those books huh?" asked Shade.

"No there isn't." said Blake.

With that, Shade and Blake walked back in with everyone else.

"This seemed like a good Christmas." Said Yang.

"Best Christmas ever. At least the best in the past five years. I got my husband back." said Velvet.

"Hang on, Dad is part Grim right?" asked Chris.

"Yeah why?" asked Shade.

"Wouldn't that make me and Audrey part grim as well?" asked Chris.

"I guess it would. No way to check it yet, but when Ozpin finishes the device we can check. I can teach you how to transform." Said Shade.

 **The beginning of the next school year**

"Today's the first day." Said Shade.

"Yeah. Good luck." Said Velvet.

"Alright. I'm off. See you tonight." Said Shade, taking off for Beacon.

Shade boarded the first airship to beacon. Upon landing, Ozpin was already there waiting for him.

"Hello Shade. Are you ready for your fist day and headmaster?" asked Ozpin.

"Of course." Said Shade.

"By the way Shade, this may look familiar." Said Ozpin, taking out a device.

"Is that?" asked Shade.

"Yes. It is a replica of the device that will allow you to regain your grim form. Would you care to test it out?" asked Ozpin.

"Of course I would." Said Shade, attempting to transform. After a few minutes, he felt that he was starting to change. Not long after, he was in his grim form. Seeing that he had his abilities back, he changed back.

"It seems that it works." Said Ozpin, handing the device to Shade for safekeeping.

Shade took the device and put it in his pocket. "Thank you Ozpin." Said Shade.

Ozpin then led him to the gym, to prepare for the speech that he would have to give when the students got there.

A few hours later, the students began to pile into the gym. After Glynda had finished her speech and introduced Shade and Ozpin, as they were both acting as the headmaster.

Shade and Ozpin both walked on the stage and began speaking. They both gave the speech that was given every year, about how they had trained to get where they were, and how they would be tested tomorrow, so they needed to get a good night's rest to be prepared before getting off the stage.

After the first day, Shade left beacon. When he landed in town, he went back home. Once he arrived, he transformed into his grim form and knocked on the door.

"Coming." Said Velvet. When she opened the door she was shocked to see Shade in his grim form. "I assume the device is finished." Said Velvet.

"Who is it mom?" Chris asked from inside before coming to the door.

"Hey there son." said Shade, startling Chris.

"Dad? You look so cool!" said Chris.

"What are you talking abou-" Audrey was cut off when she saw Shade. Olivia then came around the corner and was shocked as well.

"Hey there Audrey. Hello Olivia." Said Shade.

"You got your grim form back!" said Olivia.

"So did you." Said Shade.

Shade then spent the rest of the day teaching his kids how to access their grim genetics and change into their grim form and then back to their normal forms.

"Alright. Now that you know how to do it, you should be able to do it easier from now on." Said Shade.

"Thanks dad." Said Chris.

They all went back into the house and ate dinner together. After dinner, the kids decided to go to bed while Shade and Velvet stayed up.

"Did you enjoy your first day?" asked Velvet.

"Yes. I did." said Shade.

Velvet and Shade stayed up talking for few hours before turning in. Velvet fell asleep quickly, and Shade made a pledge.

"I love you Velvet, and I swear, that from now on, I will never leave you alone again. I will stay with you until the day I die." Said Shade, kissing his wife and going to sleep.

Velvet smiled. "I love you too Shade." said Velvet, closing her eyes and going back to sleep.

 **There we go. Wow. I did not expect this chapter to take so long, but I think that it turned out really well. Now I was planning to do this from the start. I am going to say a couple things. I am going to say what I think I did well on, and what I did, not so well on. Two for each. First, what I did not so well on.**

 **Consistency. I looked back on some of my older chapters, and noticed that in some, I was not very consistent. To list one, in the chapter where Blake and Weiss were talking about Weiss having a crush on Shade, I said that Coco found the song for Velvet, but in team CFVY's interaction, it said that fox found the song.**

 **Clichés. Yes I know. I had SO many clichés in this story. A reader by the name of Writen left a review about this, so if you want to find some of them, just check out the reviews and you should find it.**

 **Now what I feel I did well on.**

 **My OC. I feel that while Shade was a very cliché character, I feel good about how he turned out. He seemed like a character that while it may have been difficult to relate to him, he seemed like a character you could grow to care about.**

 **Relationships. You may not agree with me, but I feel that I did actually pretty well on the relationships I grew to care how they turned out. While they may not actually happen in RWBY, I think that I did well on making the characters fall in love, and hopefully you think the same.**

 **Now, I know that there are probably more things I did well on and didn't do well on, but that's what I want you guys to leave reviews about, so I can hopefully improve on them in my other stories. But now, unfortunately, this story is over. I hope you enjoyed it, make sure you leave a review, and if you want more of my writing, make sure you check out my other stories. Goodbye.**

 **PS. This may not be the last you see of Shade. See you later. ;)**


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